A new study, published in the journal Nature Communications, has found that even light-to-moderate drinking is linked to brain damage, according to Science Daily.
The study analyzed data from more than 36,000 adults and found a connection between drinking alcohol and reduced brain volume. Researchers found that brain damage starts at an average consumption level of less than one alcohol unit a day, which is equivalent to half a beer.
The researchers also revealed that going from one to two drinks a day leads to changes in the brain equivalent to aging of two years. Plus, heavy drinking was associated with an even greater toll.
One thing is clear that people who drink heavily have changes in brain structure and size, which are often associated with cognitive decline or impairments.
However, the new study suggests that having alcohol even at levels most would consider modest may also increase the risk of brain damage. Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption has been associated with reductions in overall brain volume. The researchers said the association grew stronger when the level of alcohol consumption is greater.
The study’s corresponding author Gideon Nave said, “The fact that we have such a large sample size allows us to find subtle patterns, even between drinking the equivalent of half a beer and one beer a day.”
Another corresponding author of the study Henry Kranzler said, “These findings contrast with scientific and governmental guidelines on safe drinking limits. For example, although the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommends that women consume an average of no more than one drink per day, recommended limits for men are twice that, an amount that exceeds the consumption level associated in the study with decreased brain volume.”
Nave said, “Having this dataset is like having a microscope or a telescope with a more powerful lens. You get a better resolution and start seeing patterns and associations you couldn’t before.”
Going from zero alcohol unit to one alcohol unit did not make much of a difference in brain volume. However, going from one to two or two to three units a day has been associated with reductions in gray as well as white matter in the brain.
The study’s co-corresponding author Remi Daviet said, “It’s not linear. It gets worse the more you drink.”
In addition, the researchers found that the lower brain volume was not specific to any one region of the brain.
Nave said, “This study looked at average consumption, but we’re curious whether drinking one beer a day is better than drinking none during the week and then seven on the weekend. There’s some evidence that binge drinking is worse for the brain, but we haven’t looked closely at that yet.”
