Even moderate drinking can damage the brain, researchers now say
Sustained consumption of two to three units of alcohol a day shrinks the hippocampus, a part of the brain that governs memory and ability to keep one’s bearings, say British researchers
Even moderate drinking is linked to brain damage and a slight decline in mental skills, according to a study released on Wednesday that calls into question many national alcohol guidelines.
Men and women who consume 14 to 21 drinks a week over a period of decades are two to three times more likely than non-drinkers to show atrophy in the hippocampus, a part of the brain that governs memory and the ability to keep one’s bearings, said the study, published in the medical journal BMJ. They also performed more poorly on a specific verbal test, though other language functions appeared to remain unchanged.