Alcohol causes a decrease in brain volume

Hardly anyone has ever questioned that a healthy brain and alcohol consumption are mutually exclusive.

Scientists have long investigated the links between the two, figuring out exactly what effects alcohol has on the human brain. For example, according to early studies, not only did alcohol in small quantities has no impact on the brain, but it even promoted neuronal repair in older people. However, recently all the data has been disproved. Thanks to a major study by the University of Pennsylvania (USA), which involved more than 36,000 people.

According to the new study, even low to moderate alcohol consumption causes a reduction in brain volume through organic changes. These changes begin with the average consumption of one unit of alcohol per day (about half a bottle of beer) and increase with each subsequent drink.

The most significant changes to the brain have been documented in people over the age of 50 who decide to increase the amount of alcohol they drink. For example, switching from one unit of alcohol to two units (i.e. from half a bottle to a pint of beer) produces changes in the brain equivalent to ageing for two years. Conversely, switching from two to three units of alcohol causes the brain to age by as much as three years. The difference between drinking zero alcohol and four units of alcohol per day is ten years, the difference in changes between the brains of a non-drinker and a heavy and regular drinker.

There is also a dramatic reduction in the grey and white matter that makes up the cerebral cortex, and brain volume decreases evenly in all areas when alcohol is consumed.