Minum Mei

According to a study in the Archives of Neurology, limited alcohol, said to be good for heart, may shrink the brain. Researchers have found that alcohol consumption even in moderation may be less medicinal than earlier believed to be and people who drink alcohol have smaller brain volume than those who do not. Though there is natural shrinkage of up to 2 % in brain volume as people age, scientists felt that alcohol in moderation could slow this natural shrinkage by improving blood flow and heart function.

Carol Ann Paul, an instructor in the neuroscience program at Wellesley College conducted the study when she was at the Boston University School of Public Health, said she had hoped to find that alcohol might protect against such brain shrinkage. "Decline in brain volume -- estimated at 2 percent per decade -- is a natural part of aging. However, we did not find the protective effect," says Paul. "In fact, any level of alcohol consumption resulted in a decline in brain volume."

A study on 1839 adults with an average age of 61 years was conducted based on an analysis of drinking habits and brain volume. The patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and the researchers found that the more alcohol was consumed the smaller was the brain volume. Non drinker’s brains occupied 78.6 % of the cranial space while in former drinker’s case it dropped to 78.2 % and went to 77.8 % for moderate drinkers and 77.2 for heavy drinkers.

Although men were more likely to be heavier drinkers than women, brain shrinkage in the women was more. The researchers feel it could be due to women's smaller stature and greater tendency to feel alcohol's effects. It's not clear why even modest amounts of alcohol may shrink the brain, although alcohol is "known to dehydrate tissues, and constant dehydration can have negative effects on any sensitive tissue," says Paul.

James Garbutt, M.D., professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill notes that the study did not show that the reduced brain volume impaired memory or mental function. "We're talking very small differences here," says Dr. Garbutt, who was not involved in the study. "We're not seeing 10 to 20 percent shrinkage." The reduction in brain mass is an interesting finding. "But we have a long way to go to figure out the implications of it."

"The public health effect of this study gives a clear message about the possible dangers of drinking alcohol. This study suggests that, unlike the associations with cardiovascular disease, alcohol consumption does not have any protective effect on brain volume." the authors concluded