Just One Alcoholic Drink Per Day Appears to Shrink Your Brain, Scientists Say

Even in moderation, drinking alcohol can cause changes in the structures of our brains.

A team of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that a single drink per day is associated with a reduction in brain size.

The team has yet to find a definitive link between the two, but it does sound overwhelmingly likely, making it a finding that goes against the common perception that drinking alcohol is only harmful when done in large volumes.

In a new study published in the journal Nature Communications, the team studied brain scans from over 36,000 entries in the UK Biobank database, which contains medical and genetic information from about 500,000 middle-aged and elderly British people.

In the paper, the researchers conclude that the negative associations between alcohol intake and brain macrostructure are already apparent in individuals consuming an average of only one to two daily alcohol units, and become stronger as alcohol intake increases.

That could be a problem.

The director of the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Studies of Addiction said in a statement that the findings contrast with scientific and governmental guidelines on safe drinking limits.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommends that women consume an average of no more than one drink per day.

Going from zero to one drink wasn't associated with a reduction in gray and white matter, but going from one to two or three drinks a day did have an effect.

The more you drink, the worse it gets.

The findings have yet to show a link between drinking and brain size. People with small brains are more likely to drink.

The study shows that drinking alcohol can affect the brain in a number of ways, especially given the wealth of previous research on the topic.

It isn't necessarily about cutting booze out of your life completely.

Cutting back on the last drink of the night might have a big effect on brain aging, according to the statement.

It's possible to read more about it.

According to science, there's more on booze science.

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