A study led by Nagalakshmi Balasubramanian, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy’s Department of Cellular and Systems Pharmacology, has garnered national media attention for its findings linking heavy alcohol use to Alzheimer’s disease.
The study suggests that people with a genetic variant that impairs alcohol metabolism may face a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease-related brain changes. In a mouse model, researchers found that chronic alcohol exposure promoted Alzheimer’s disease pathology when acetaldehyde, the primary toxic metabolite of alcohol, was not efficiently cleared from the body. The study also identified differences in how the disease developed in males and females.
“These results suggest that biological sex and genetic differences in alcohol metabolism may influence vulnerability to alcohol-associated neurodegeneration and highlight acetaldehyde metabolism as a potential therapeutic target for reducing Alzheimer’s disease risk,” Balasubramanian said.
Balasubramanian presented her research findings at the 49th Annual Research Society on Alcohol Scientific Meeting, June 20-24, in San Antonio, Texas.
Funding for the research was provided by the National Institutes of Health through a Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00), which helps promising postdoctoral researchers transition to independent, tenure-track, or equivalent, faculty positions.
Media Coverage
- Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.com/health/article-15925653/alcoholic-drinks-week-increase-Alzheimers-risk.html
- Inc.: https://www.inc.com/lucia-auerbach/your-after-work-drinks-could-be-aging-your-brain-faster-than-you-think/91364727
- MNT: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/heavy-drinking-accelerate-brain-aging-alzheimers-latest-evidence
- Newswise: https://www.newswise.com/articles/chronic-heavy-alcohol-use-may-accelerate-biological-pathways-linked-to-brain-aging-and-alzheimer-s-disease