It may also cut 13 years from your life.
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But regular and heavy drinking are starting to ring alarm bells for researchers.
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There are a few reasons behind those warnings.
Drinking has also been linked to cognitive decline and diseases of the brain.
They published their findings in the American Academy of Neurologys publication,Neurology.Lets break down what they found.
How Was This Study Conducted?
There were 1,781 participants with an average age of 75 at death.
Demographic information was collected from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics and official government documents.
The CDR-SOB ranges from 0 to 18, with higher scores indicating poorer cognitive abilities.
What Did This Study Show?
Researchers note that this may be due to heavy drinkers dying 13 years earlier.
In other words, they may have died before the signs of dementia showed up.
There are several limitations to this study.
Instead, researchers relied on next of kins perception of their loved ones alcohol intake and cognitive abilities.
For example, a thiamine deficiency influences specific regions of the brain related to cognitive decline.
How Does This Apply to Real Life?
The evidence is stacking up toward alcohol having more negative health consequences than positive, especially for heavy drinkers.
Alcohol use is an individual decision.
If you do drink, take an honest look at how much, how often and why.
Sometimes, we drink because everyone else is.
Its important to assess why youre drinking and how its affecting your lifeincluding financially and with your relationships.
Need Help?
If youre worried about experiencing withdrawal, getting in touch with your doctor is a good first step.
Alcohol isnt the only thing that affects brain health, though.
Diet, physical activity, stress, sleep and socialization also influence how healthy your brain is.
World Health Organization.Accelerating Action to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Office of the Surgeon General.Alcohol and Cancer Risk.
enters for Disease Control and Prevention.Alcohol Use and Your Health.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Impaired Driving.
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