How Does Alcohol Affect the Aging Process?
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Drinking can take a toll on our health. From increasing our risk of cancer and liver damage to worsening pre-existing conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, alcohol affects nearly every system in our body that impacts our health and well-being.
There’s one particularly troubling effect of alcohol: premature aging. Perhaps unsurprisingly, alcohol can also accelerate the aging process — even at the cellular level. In fact, the more we drink, the greater our chance of damaging cells at a biological level, causing them to age prematurely. How does alcohol make you look older? And does drinking age you before your time? Let’s take a closer look at the effects of alcohol on aging.
Does alcohol age you physically? Recent research indicates that excessive alcohol consumption can indeed speed up the aging process at a biological level. One study in particular showed that heavy alcohol drinkers and those with alcohol use disorder were significantly more likely to have shorter telomeres — an essential part of our chromosomes linked to aging and overall health.
We can think about telomeres like the tips of shoelaces that keep them from unraveling: their role is to protect the ends of chromosomes. Whenever a cell divides, telomeres lose a part of their DNA. As we age, our telomeres get shorter and shorter until all the DNA in the telomere is lost and cells can no longer replicate. This is what causes many cells to die.
In short, researchers concluded that heavy alcohol use and binge drinking — defined as consuming five or more alcoholic drinks in a sitting for men, and four or more drinks in a sitting for women — can lead to premature shortening of telomeres. This essentially puts us at greater risk for developing diseases such as cancer. Some studies have also found associations between shorter telomeres and pulmonary disease and liver disease.
Interestingly, researchers also noted that shorter telomeres correlated with thiamine (vitamin B-1) deficiency. Our body needs thiamine to metabolize carbohydrates, amino acids, and fatty acids. A severe thiamine deficiency can cause beriberi, a disease that affects several organs and can lead to neurological disorders, such as Wernicke’s encephalopathy or the Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.
While we might not notice the effect of drinking on our cells, alcohol can speed up our aging process in many other ways. One of the most visible impacts alcohol can have is on our complexion, as drinking excessively is known to cause redness and dry, wrinkly skin.
The alcohol-skin aging connection has a few sides to it. On one hand, alcohol can also cause a deficiency of nutrients like vitamin A, which helps with cell regeneration and collagen production — both of which are essential to youthful skin. Since alcohol causes dehydration, it can also dry out our skin and make wrinkles form faster. Furthermore, alcohol can cause enlarged blood vessels, which gives our skin a redder appearance.
Excessive alcohol consumption can even cause us to look older. One study found that men who consumed more than 35 drinks a week were 35% more likely to display “arcus corneae” — a gray ring in the eye that often pops up in old age. Women who had 28 drinks or more per week had a 33% higher chance of developing the same syndrome.
Here are several more ways that alcohol affects the aging process:
Heavy alcohol consumption not only causes visible changes to our body that make us look older — it actually accelerates our aging at a cellular level. This puts us at an even greater risk for prematurely developing cancer or disease. We might not notice the effects right away, but underneath the surface, alcohol damages the many bodily systems and functions that are vital for living well into old age.
One of the best things we can do to protect our health and longevity is to drink less alcohol. Reframe has helped millions of people around the world cut back on their alcohol consumption — and helped put them on track to lead healthier, longer lives.
Although it isn’t a treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD), the Reframe app can help you cut back on drinking gradually, with the science-backed knowledge to empower you 100% of the way. Our proven program has helped millions of people around the world drink less and live more. And we want to help you get there, too!
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And that’s not all! Every month, we launch fun challenges, like Dry/Damp January, Mental Health May, and Outdoorsy June. You won’t want to miss out on the chance to participate alongside fellow Reframers (or solo if that’s more your thing!).
The Reframe app is free for 7 days, so you don’t have anything to lose by trying it. Are you ready to feel empowered and discover life beyond alcohol? Then download our app through the App Store or Google Play today!
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