Two beers a day damages human brains as much as 10 years of aging

https://newatlas.com ^ | March 6, 2022 | By Loz Blain

[Red Badger]

A large study of more than 36,000 high-quality MRI brain scans has found that drinking four units of alcohol a day – two beers, or two glasses of wine – causes structural damage and brain volume loss equivalent to 10 years of aging.

The science on alcohol consumption can be confusing and overwhelming. A quick scroll through our coverage over the years will tell you it directly causes cancer, but also reduces inflammation and helps to flush toxins out of the brain. It stunts growth in developing brains by nearly 50 percent, it permanently damages your DNA and is confidently linked with early-onset dementia, but on the other hand, red wine contains antioxidant compounds that are good for your heart, and can even help protect you from bacteria that cause cavities and gum disease.

Some of these studies focus on regular, moderate alcohol intake. Others on sustained high-level alcoholism, and others still on the effects of occasional "binge" events. Some are human studies, some are animal or lab studies. Some are tightly controlled, others introduce the chaos of the real world. Some are small studies, some are large and diverse. It's hard to draw black-and-white conclusions to help you make decisions in your own life.

So here's the deal with the latest study that caught our eye. Led by a team from the University of Pennsylvania, this study examined brain MRIs from an impressive 36,678 patients, stored in the UK Biobank, all middle-aged or older. This study follows up on prior research that had focused on chronic heavy drinkers – a term that includes women that take three or more drinks on the average day, and men that take four or more.

[NetAddicted]

Beer & wine age you, but you live longer if you drink red wine. Oooooooooookay. I think I’ll just enjoy the responses.

[Red Badger]

[Red Badger]

Or 10 beers a day for two years..................

[jmacusa]

There ya go!