Poison in the brain: alcohol and nicotine change nerves

Lisa Vogel studied departmental journalism with a focus on medicine and biosciences at Ansbach University and deepened her journalistic knowledge in the master's degree in multimedia information and communication. This was followed by a traineeship in the editorial team. Since September 2020 she has been writing as a freelance journalist for

More posts by Lisa Vogel All content is checked by medical journalists.

It's no secret that alcohol and smoking are harmful. But scientists have now found that even small amounts of alcohol and nicotine cause changes in the brain - and that at a young age.

Luxury foods: damage to the white matter

The coffee and the cigarette after dinner: this is a ritual that many people love. But even small amounts of these luxury foods leave traces - especially in the brain. Scientists at the Technical University of Dresden and Oxford University have found out with modern magnetic resonance imaging images that an unhealthy lifestyle attacks the white matter of the brain.

"Every glass, every cigarette leaves traces"

125 people between the ages of 18 and 40 were checked by the researchers. Physical fitness, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, alcohol and cigarette consumption were recorded. The results show that every single risk factor - smoking, alcohol consumption and also high blood pressure - damage the vascular system and the brain. "Even with young people, every cigarette and every glass of alcohol seems to leave traces in the brain," says Dr. Timo Siepmann, neurologist at the Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital at the TU Dresden.

The recordings showed that the insulating sheaths of the nerve fibers in the brain, also called myelin sheaths, are changing. They appear lighter than usual in the pictures, which indicates damage to the insulating layer. The white matter is important for a smooth exchange of information. If damage occurs here, the memory can become weaker.

Development into adulthood

Contrary to what has long been assumed, the development of the brain continues into young adulthood - around 25 years of age. The consumption of alcohol and nicotine, but also high blood pressure, impair the development of white brain matter and the hippocampus grows less. An unhealthy lifestyle at a young age can therefore negatively affect memory. Cardiovascular diseases are also more likely due to the luxury foods and are the number one cause of death in Germany.

Above all, alcohol is popular with Germans: in 2015 there was an average of 9.6 liters of pure alcohol per capita, reports the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA). That corresponds to 135.5 liters of alcoholic beverages. For comparison: a bathtub has an average capacity of 150 liters. Smoking is also still popular: around 25 percent of the German population over the age of 15 consume a cigarette, writes the Ärzteblatt.

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