Heavy alcohol consumption may lead to brain damage, according to the findings of a recent study. Published in the journal of Nature Communications, the study found a correlation between consumption of alcohol and cognitive damage. 

The research was conducted on a sample size of over 36,000 individuals. During the study, a team of researchers controlled multiple variables such as height, age, genetics, and smoking status. According to the study, people who drink heavily often develop alterations in brain structure and size, resulting in cognitive impairment.

“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,” said Gideon Nave, a faculty member at Penn’s Wharton School and co-author of the study.

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Kranzler, the director of the Penn Center for Studies of Addiction stated, “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,” Kranzler added. 

Co-author Remi Daviet stated, “There is some evidence that the effect of drinking on the brain is exponential.”

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 “So, one additional drink in a day could have more of an impact than any of the previous drinks that day. That means that cutting back on that final drink of the night might have a big effect in terms of brain ageing,” Daviet added. 

The study concluded that light to moderate levels of drinking a few glasses of wine or beer can also pose a threat of developing brain damage. 

While the study suggests steering clear of alcohol, it contradicts several other studies that provide evidence of moderate alcohol consumption yielding beneficial results.