1 Group's Biological Age is NOT Affected by Alcohol Consumption! - Which Group Do You Belong to?
Vincent E. Cording Longevity Mentor and Author
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Does Alcohol Accelerate Aging?
It is widely understood that excessive alcohol consumption can cause significant harm, but prior research has suggested a horseshoe-like relationship between alcohol intake and health. Moderate drinking appeared to offer some health benefits compared to abstinence or heavy consumption. However, newer studies challenge this conclusion, prompting further research into the impact of alcohol on aging.
Epigenetic clocks, introduced roughly a decade ago, are now regarded as reliable measures of biological age. In a recent study published in Aging, researchers utilized two robust second-generation epigenetic clocks, GrimAge and PhenoAge, to investigate the effects of alcohol on biological age acceleration—defined as the difference between biological and chronological age.
Older Adults and Alcohol
The study analyzed data from 3,823 participants in the Framingham Heart Study. Researchers examined drinking patterns across three age groups: young adults (24-44 years), middle-aged adults (45-64 years), and older adults (65-92 years). Alcohol consumption was categorized as follows: light drinkers (less than 1 drink per day for women and less than 2 drinks per day for men), at-risk drinkers (1-2 drinks per day for women and 2-3 drinks per day for men), and heavy drinkers (more than 2 drinks per day for women and more than 3 drinks per day for men).
The findings revealed that older adults were more likely to consume alcohol. Only 5.6% of the older cohort reported abstaining from alcohol, roughly half the rate observed in the younger and middle-aged groups. Conversely, at-risk and heavy drinkers were far more prevalent among older participants. In the younger cohort, only 11.8% were at-risk drinkers and 2.3% were heavy drinkers, compared to 5.6% and 0.7%, respectively.
Hard Liquor Emerges as the Most Harmful
The study demonstrated that long-term average alcohol consumption significantly correlated with biological age acceleration among middle-aged and older adults, but not among younger participants. According to PhenoAge, each additional daily drink increased the discrepancy between biological and chronological age by 0.71 years for middle-aged adults and by 0.6 years for older adults. GrimAge yielded slightly smaller but still significant effects, at 0.43 years and 0.37 years, respectively. These models accounted for variables such as sex, physical activity, education level, body mass index, smoking, and chronological age.
When researchers examined the effects of specific types of alcohol, hard liquor was identified as the most detrimental. Beer and wine showed mixed results depending on the metric used. PhenoAge indicated that wine was more strongly associated with biological age acceleration in middle-aged adults compared to beer. However, GrimAge produced the opposite result, showing a stronger association with beer.
Binge Drinking and Accelerated Aging
White blood cell composition emerged as a potential confounding factor, strengthening several associations when accounted for. Notably, recent binge drinking showed a significant link to epigenetic age acceleration. For middle-aged participants, binge drinking—defined as consuming more than 4 drinks per day for women, more than 5 drinks per day for men, or having fewer than 2 alcohol-free days per week—resulted in a 0.56-year increase in biological age acceleration (GrimAge) and a 0.93-year increase (PhenoAge).
The study also referenced prior research linking stress to temporary increases in epigenetic age, suggesting that binge drinking may exacerbate stress-related aging effects.
Limitations and Further Research
The study had notable limitations. Participants were exclusively European Americans, which may limit the generalizability of findings to other ethnic groups. Additionally, the cohort had a higher average education level than the national average, a factor associated with better health outcomes. This may have mitigated some of the observed effects of alcohol consumption, particularly among younger adults.
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The researchers acknowledged the need for larger studies to uncover potential relationships between alcohol consumption and epigenetic age acceleration in younger age groups.
Key Findings Summarized
The study concluded that long-term alcohol consumption accelerates biological aging in adults aged 45-92. Notably, the associations appeared linear, with biological age accelerating proportionally with increased alcohol consumption.
Hard liquor was identified as the most harmful type of alcohol. Hard liquor, or distilled alcoholic beverages, contains a higher alcohol content than beer or wine and is produced through the distillation of fermented grains, fruits, or vegetables.
For light drinkers (less than 1 drink per day for women and less than 2 drinks per day for men), at-risk drinkers (1-2 drinks per day for women and 2-3 drinks per day for men), and heavy drinkers (more than 2 drinks per day for women and more than 3 drinks per day for men), the impact of an additional daily drink was significant. Each extra drink increased the gap between biological and chronological age by 0.71 years for middle-aged adults and 0.6 years for older adults.
These findings highlight the importance of understanding alcohol's role in aging and suggest that even moderate drinking may contribute to biological age acceleration.
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