Many studies to date have revealed that moderate alcohol consumption has certain health benefits. Beer is known to prevent inflammation and kidney stone formation, strengthen bones and benefit the heart, while wine has been proven to have an anti-diabetic effect. But a new study has revealed an alarming harm from alcohol consumption. Nor was the study a small-scale study.
The new research, conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, was conducted by examining brain MRIs of a total of 36,678 individuals. Research examining middle-aged and older individuals showed that regular consumption of alcohol equivalent to two beers or two glasses of wine a day causes brain damage and loss of volume equivalent to aging for 10 years.
As alcohol consumption increased, damage to the brain increased
This study, which is much more comprehensive than previous similar studies with the number of individuals examined, showed the damage done by alcohol to the brain, step by step. Accordingly, switching from zero alcohol consumption to half a glass of beer a day reduced brain volume as much as the 6-month aging period. Moreover, the effect did not increase linearly as alcohol consumption increased.
Beginning with alcohol consumption, from half a pint to one pint a day, shrinks brain volume equivalent to about 2 years of aging. When alcohol is brought to the equivalent of one and a half glasses of beer, this effect increases to 3.5 years of aging. Alcohol consumption equivalent to two glasses of beer or more per day shows a 10-year aging effect.
On the other hand, the research does not address other factors that affect people’s lives as it is only based on correlation. The research examined individuals with only the ‘drinking alcohol’ pen. This means that the results may not be entirely consistent.
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