Low Levels Of Alcohol May Be Good For The Brain

A new study suggests that low levels of alcohol consumption may help to decrease inflammation and may help the brain to clear toxins. That glass of wine at the end of a busy day with supper, may just be helping to clean them mind as well as clear it, as published in the journal of Scientific Reports.

While it is well known that the prolonged intake of excessive amount of ethanol will have adverse effects on the central nervous system and is a well documented health hazard, for the first time this study suggests that low doses may potentially be beneficial to the brain by improving the ability to remove waste according to the the researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

The study was conducted using model mice, and set out to investigate the impacts of both chronic and acute alcohol exposure on the brain. Rodent brains that were exposed to high levels of alcohol over a prolonged period were observed to contain high levels of molecular markers for inflammation, noting the impairment of the animals motor abilities and cognitive abilities. Rodent brains that were exposed to low levels of alcohol, equivalent to 2.5 drinks per day, displayed decreased inflammation in the brain and glymphatic system was more efficient in removing waste when compared to animals who were not exposed to alcohol at all. Low dose rodents performance in cognitive and motor tests were identical to that of the control animals.

The results support and suggest other studies that low to moderate alcohol intake may be associated with decreased risk of dementia, while heavy intake is associated with cognitive decline.