All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Moderate use of alcohol kills brain cells
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
A few glasses a day are not considered a crime, and even vice versa, many programs and articles on healthy lifestyles suggest that small doses of red wine are an excellent way to maintain the health of the cardiovascular system and to activate brain processes. However, scientists from Rutgers University think differently and believe that between moderate consumption of alcohol and drunkenness - a very fine line, which is very easy to go.
The research of specialists shows that the regular use of even small doses of alcohol can negatively affect the structural integrity of the adult brain.
"A moderate but regular habit of drinking after work or on weekends can be addictive, and people will not even suspect it," said lead author Megan Anderson. "In the short term, this threatens an imperceptible violation of motor skills or common problems of the functioning of the body, and in the long term it can lead to a disruption in cognitive processes - to reduce the ability to remember and learn."
Specialists conducted a study on rodents. They injected an animal with a dose of alcohol that did not exceed the allowable amount of alcohol for drivers of motor vehicles and found that even such a small dose adversely affected the brain cells.
The researchers found that this level of intoxication in rats is comparable to about 3-4 drinks for women and five drinks for men. In the case of people, the number of nerve cells in the brain's hippocampus is reduced by almost 40 percent. The hippocampus is part of the brain, where new neurons are produced, and it is responsible for obtaining some types of new knowledge.
This level of alcohol was not enough to disrupt the motor skills in rats. However, Dr. Anderson says that a significant reduction in the number of brain cells over time can have a profound effect on the structural plasticity of the adult brain, because these new cells interact with other brain neurons that regulate the overall health of the person.
[1]