Alcohol and the Brain: One Drink a Day Associated with Brain Shrinkage

There are many conflicting studies on how alcohol consumption can impact a person’s health, with some studies suggesting light drinking can protect against coronary heart disease and others concluding that drinking can increase your risk for cancer. What does research say about alcohol and the brain? Dr. Remi Daviet joins the podcast to discuss his latest study that found that just one alcoholic drink a day was associated with brain shrinkage, and drinking more could increase that rate exponentially over time. Guest: Remi Daviet, PhD, assistant professor, Wisconsin School of Business Episode Topics 3:40 How do you suggest people balance all of the conflicting messages surrounding research on alcohol consumption? 7:30 Is there an interaction between alcohol consumption and getting older? 8:10 What did your results show in this study? 13:45 How are you defining alcohol consumption? What is a unit of alcohol defined as for beer, wine, and hard alcohol? Show Notes Read Dr. Daviet’s study, Associations between alcohol consumption and gray and white matter volumes in the UK Biobank, through the online journal Nature. Read more about Dr. Daviet on his website and through his bio on the Wisconsin School of Business website.