Alcohol may speed brain shrinkage
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Drinking small to moderate amounts of alcohol, which may protect people against heart disease, doesn’t slow the normal brain shrinkage that comes with aging and may accelerate the process, researchers said Tuesday.
They found that the more people drank, the smaller the size of their brains, according to a study in the Archives of Neurology. Even people who drank lightly -- one to seven drinks a week -- had slightly smaller brains than nondrinkers, the study found. The association was especially pronounced in women.
