Your Brain and Alcohol

You know you shouldn’t drink too much alcohol, but you’ve probably heard that one or two drinks a day (especially wine) is no big deal and may even have health benefits. Right? Not so fast.

“There’s always been a story that moderate drinking, particularly red wine, might be good … for you or good for your heart. It’s quite controversial, and a lot of people dispute that now,” says Anya Topiwala, a senior clinical researcher in the department of population health at the University of Oxford in England.

A growing body of research, including Topiwala’s, suggests not only that moderate drinking may not be beneficial but that it could, in fact, do harm. These studies suggest that no amount of alcohol is good for your brain.

AARP’s Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH), an independent collaborative of scientists, health professionals, scholars and policy experts convened by AARP, reviewed the existing research and in 2018 published its findings that even moderate amounts of alcohol may harm the brain.

“One theory that I have, and others as well, is that if you look at the kind of people drinking moderate amounts of red wine, they tend to be better educated, high-income individuals that probably do better on memory tests to start with,” Topiwala says. “They may also be doing all sorts of other healthy things, like watching their diet, exercising and looking after their medical health in general.”

Some people who have just a glass of wine each night do so as a part of the Mediterranean and MIND diets, which allow for that. Both these eating plans emphasize nutrients that have proven positive effects on brain health. So it may be the diet rather than the daily glass of wine that is good for the brain.

For more about the effects of alcohol on brain health, read the full article, Your Brain and Alcohol, on Staying Sharp.

_{This content is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide any expert, professional or specialty advice or recommendations. Readers are urged to consult with their medical providers for all questions.}