Posted on 07/29/2022 12:46:52 PM PDT by Red Badger
A comprehensive new Oxford study has added to the growing body of research highlighting the health effects of alcohol. The large-scale genetic analysis suggests that alcohol consumption directly accelerates aging, by shortening telomeres.
Alcohol is among the most widely used recreational drugs, so it’s extremely important to examine its health impacts. Unfortunately, various studies have revealed that alcohol permanently damages DNA, directly causes cancer, contributes to cognitive decline and early-onset dementia, and can shrink the brain to the equivalent of 10 years of aging. And now a new study has found more evidence that alcohol consumption can accelerate biological aging.
Telomeres are repetitive sequences of DNA that form protective caps on the tips of chromosomes. Every time a cell divides, a section of these “junk” sequences is lost, and eventually telomeres wear away enough that useful DNA starts to be affected. This causes the cell to stop dividing, and contributes to many of the biological signs of aging. As such, telomere length is often used as a biomarker for aging.
In the new study, researchers from Oxford Population Health examined the association between alcohol intake and telomere length, using data from over 245,000 people taking part in the UK Biobank project. To investigate any potential causation, the team used a genetic technique known as Mendelian Randomization (MR), which looks at variations in certain genes – in this case, some that had previously been linked to alcohol consumption and alcohol use disorders.
In the MR analysis, the team found a clear link between high alcohol intake and shorter telomeres – drinking 32 units of alcohol (about 11 glasses of wine) per week showed telomere shortening equivalent to around three years of aging, compared to those who drank 10 units.
(Excerpt) Read more at newatlas.com ...
“smoked like a locomotive.................”
My grandfather did as well. Rolled his own and stunk like hell. His face was quite weathered. He died at 73. He chose poorly.
Lucky you. It is obvious the ones that have the genes to handle it. Everything wrong and still live to 80 or 100+
“I don’t have a drinking problem...’cept when I can’t get a drink” - Tom Waits
My maternal grandparents were from Romania and emigrated to the US right after WWI. They had a small fruit farm and always hire old Romanian or Hungarian men to help them on the farm. The water in Eastern Europe was pretty bad then so they typically drank a glass of wine at lunch and one at supper. Most of them lived to reach their late eighties or early nineties.
Damn! And my wife tells me I look younger every day!
Certainly not a pint of no return.
No processed foods and few carbs.........................
So that’s how all those Democrats get so old.
They look like hell, but they live forever.
There are old pilots and bold pilots. But there are no old bold pilots. Especially if they drink while flying.
That’s a BIG No-No!!!.....................
Grandpa drank a quart of whiskey a night and lived to be 93, so I figure if I drink 2 quarts a night I’ll live to 186.
“Huge genetic study suggests alcohol accelerates biological aging”
Strange since alcohol is used a preservative for biological samples.
This obsession with longevity at all costs. What about living and enjoying life?
So who is doing the drinking, you or your wife? (Just joking)
My dad died at 81 due to COPD and quit smoking over 30 years prior.
Of course, but I prefer to be in that twilight area upon awakening and enjoying what dreams I had and just lying there for another half hour. Okay, I'm lazy.
Sheesh, spelled that wrong. No more pints for me.
Just googled definition of pint. I got it right. So there...think I’ll finish the paint.
Winston Churchill would have lived to 150!
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