Does Drinking and Smoking Contribute to Early Brain Aging?

The impact of excessive alcohol use on aging is well documented. From hypertension and cardiac arrhythmia to gastrointestinal disorders and cancers, chronic alcohol consumption or alcohol dependence can lead to both premature and exaggerated aging.

The same holds true for smoking. Chronic cigarette smoking can result in sallow and wrinkled skin, premature gray hair and hair loss, cell damage, and a severe decrease in protein, all of which are signs of premature or exaggerated aging.

New research, however, is looking at the combined effects of excessive alcohol use and chronic smoking. The study, which will be published October 2013 in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, suggests that individuals who both smoke and drink heavily experience early brain aging, an effect which is largely caused by increased oxidative damage to brain tissue.

A Decline in Cognitive Skills

Research indicates that alcohol dependent individuals who smoke illustrate more problems with cognitive skills including memory retrieval, problems solving, and the ability to think quickly and efficiently, than those who do not smoke. According to the study, these problems only worsen with age. While this is the first study to look at the interactive effects of alcohol dependence and chronic smoking, according to Alecia Dager, Ph.D, an associative research scientist in the department of psychiatry at Yale University, the data is important as many heavy drinkers are also smokers, and in treatment facilities smoking cessation programs are not typically the norm.

Oxidative Brain Damage

Excessive alcohol use and chronic smoking causes increased oxidative damage to brain tissue. How does this work? Drinking and smoking increases an individual’s levels of free radicals, which are toxic compounds that injure the neurons and other cells that comprise the brain. The brain’s long-term exposure to these dangerous chemicals result in a greater neurocognitive decline; in other words, excessive alcohol and chronic smoking causes brain aging.

Conclusions

Two important things can be gleaned from this new study.

First, individuals with alcohol dependence who also smoke will experience adverse effects associated with multiple aspects of memory and cognition.

Second, an individual’s thinking skills, memory, and processing speed will improve as a result of quitting both alcohol and cigarettes.

While smoking cessation programs are not currently a part of most treatment and recovery programs, further research on smoking’s interactive effect with chronic alcohol use may change that in the years to come.

What do you think? Do you think that treatment centers should work on curbing smoking in addition to other addictions? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.