Drinking Just 500cc of Beer in Middle Age Ages the Brain by 2 Years

The Impact of Alcohol Consumption on the Brain Increases Exponentially... Greater Alcohol Intake Leads to Reduced Brain Volume

(Photo by Getty Images)

[Asia Economy Senior Reporter Jinsoo Lee] A study has found that middle-aged individuals who drink just one glass of wine or 500cc of beer per day may age their brains by 2 years more.

A joint research team from the United States, Switzerland, and the Netherlands announced in the natural science journal Nature Communications on March 4 (local time) that adults aged 50 who consume just one unit of alcoholic beverage have brains that age 6 months more compared to those who do not drink at all.

One unit is a measure of alcohol quantity equivalent to 10g of alcohol. It corresponds roughly to one small glass of wine or about 280cc of beer.

The researchers measured brain size using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of 36,000 adults aged 40 to 69 from the UK Biobank and compared these measurements with their alcohol consumption. The UK Biobank is a project planned to collect genetic data from residents aged 40 and above across the United Kingdom.

As a result, it was concluded that middle-aged adults who drink 2 units per day have brains that are about 2 years and 6 months older than those who do not drink at all. When alcohol consumption increased to 4 units per day, the brain aged 10 years more.

When the subjects increased their alcohol intake from 1 unit to 2 units per day, their brain age increased by 2 years. Increasing from 2 units to 3 units resulted in the brain aging an additional 3 years and 6 months.

(Photo by Getty Images)

Professor Remi Daviet of the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who participated in this study, pointed out that "the impact of alcohol on the brain increases exponentially." Henry Kranzler, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and co-author of the paper, warned that "the more alcohol consumed, the smaller the brain volume."

The UK's National Health Service (NHS) recommends that adults do not consume more than 14 units of alcohol per week. The U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) advises women to limit themselves to about one drink per day and men to about two drinks per day. However, this study's findings contrast with these guidelines.

Previous studies have also shown that the more alcohol consumed, the smaller the brain volume. However, experts have not yet precisely determined why these results occur.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.