A New Study About Wine's Impact on Brain Health May Have You Rethinking Your Daily Glass

Beth Ann Mayer
Updated ·6 min read
9

We apologize in advance to anyone who likes to unwind with a glass of wine.

Narratives like "a glass of wine is good for the heart" and "this 99-year-old grandma of 12 swears by a glass of red wine per day" have made the rounds over the years, and they're stories we all call upon once in a while when we want to justify an after-work glass of wine (or a beer).

But recent research is throwing a wrench into the idea that wine benefits your health. A 2022 study of more than 36,000 adults led by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania found that even light-to-moderate drinking levels, such as a couple of glasses of wine or beer per week, could reduce brain volume.

"Alcohol has toxic effects on cells, including neurons, and multiple prior studies have shown that high levels of alcohol consumption are associated with lower brain volumes and measurable cognitive impairment," says Dr. Henry Kranzler, MD, an author of the study and a professor of psychiatry at is at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine.

Indeed, research from 2017 indicated that even moderate alcohol consumption could increase the risk of poor brain outcomes, including hippocampal atrophy (a marker of Alzheimer's disease).

What does this mean about that daily glass of wine (which the CDC says is OK for women)? How about the two-drink minimum for men? Experts explained the study and offered guidance on alcohol. They also shared resources for people struggling with alcohol use.

Related: This One Daily Habit Could Reduce Cognitive Decline

What Does Drinking Do to the Brain?

The new study indicates that alcohol consumption can reduce brain size and structure, which is linked with reduced cognitive impairment.

Researchers used MRI data from people who participated in the UK Biobank study, which included 500,000 British people to perform the study. More than 36,000 had undergone neuroimaging. The study also included information about drinking behavior and other habits like smoking and diet and socioeconomic status. This information allowed researchers to control for potentially confounding factors as they evaluated drinking level, brain volume and white matter integrity.

"We found that alcohol intake was negatively associated with global brain volume measures, regional gray matter volumes and white matter microstructure that were evident in individuals who consumed an average of one to two alcohol units...and become stronger as the volume of alcohol intake increases," Dr. Kranzler says.

In simpler terms: "Alcohol is really good at breaking down protein…from top-down to bottom," says Dr. Akhil Anand, MD at Cleveland Clinic.

And what could this mean long term? "Lower gray and white matter volumes are likely to be manifested as poorer cognitive function," Dr. Kranzler says. "The brain is the organ of thought and learning, and if it’s structurally affected, those functions will be adversely affected."

A few caveats: The data indicate higher alcohol consumption is associated with lower brain volumes. This information suggests that the reduction in brain size is because of alcohol intake. But Dr. Kranzler cautions the authors can't say that for sure. "We don’t have measurements over time that show changes, and even then, a causal relationship is not easy to establish," Dr. Kranzler says.

Your brain also shrinks as you age, regardless of alcohol consumption, Dr. Anand notes. "But it shrinks faster in people with chronic alcohol use, and it’s more pronounced in regions which are really important in your decision-making and memory," he says.

Related: A Study of 12,000 People Found That Taking This One Supplement May Lower Your Dementia Risk by 40%

The Changing Conversation on Alcohol and Health

The headlines about wine being great for your heart may have been clicky, but Dr. Anand has long seen the effects of alcohol on people's health. He wasn't surprised at the outcome of this study.

"Alcohol causes over 250 diseases," Dr. Anand says. "This just happens to be another one. We see a lot of patients come in with chronic alcohol use...We’ve seen people have withdrawal seizures and head damage from falls and accidents. We’ve also seen it can cause dementia. This is another study that adds to the large body of research that long-term, chronic alcohol use is very bad for the brain."

Other new research suggests alcohol doesn’t have the heart-protective benefits people used to think it did—quite the opposite, in fact.

Research on all-cause mortality risk, however, is mixed. A 2023 systemic review and meta-analysis did not find a link between low alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality risk increases. But previous research from 2018 indicated that even low-level daily drinking was bad for a person's health.

In response to the evolving research, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) updated its guidelines on drinking for the first time in more than a decade. The CSSA reduced its alcohol consumption guidelines to two drinks per week, down from its previous recommendation for men to have 15 or fewer drinks weekly and women to limit themselves to 10 or fewer.

The CDC continues to cap drinks at one per day for women and two per day for men."To my mind, the current evidence argues for individuals of both sexes to consume no more than one standard drink on average, with no more than two standard drinks on any one day," says Dr. Kranzler.

Dr. Anand offers similar recommendations."If it were a colleague or friend or family member, I would say one drink for male or female and to drink in moderation," he says.

But he often sees people at rock bottom and offers different guidance for people with alcohol consumption issues. "If the person is having cravings or if it is causing negative consequences, if there is a compulsive pattern, if they can’t stop their drinking, they need to stop their drinking," Dr. Anand says.

Related: What Does It Mean to Be Sober Curious?

Resources for Help With Drinking

Dr. Anand understands that quitting drinking is easier said than done. If you or someone you know is struggling to cease alcohol use, help is available. Some resources Dr. Anand recommends include:

Next up: How Long Does Alcohol Stay In the Body?

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