Heavy alcohol use over a lifetime leads to decreases in brain volume, shows research to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 59th Annual Meeting. Comparing MRIs from 1,839 people age 34 to 88, researchers discovered that people who had, on average, more than 14 drinks per week had an average 1.6 percent reduction in the ratio of brain volume to skull size compared to non-drinkers. Those who a long history of drinking further showed greater decreases in brain matter than people who had become heavy drinkers in the last 12 years.
Read more: Even moderate consumption reduced brain volume, study found