he impact of alcohol on your body changes as you age. While some differences are immediately recognizable (a terrible hangovers after one drink the night before, for example), others are a bit more subtle. “The effects of alcohol on the brain are dependent on age and daily consumption habits,” says Dr. Willeumier. “With aging, specific structural and functional changes happen in the brain, including thinning of the cerebral cortex, neuronal shrinkage, decreased spine density, decreased white-matter connectivity, and diminished neurotransmitter production.” Alcohol consumption only exacerbates symptoms of brain aging.
Dr. Willeumier cites an August 2020 neuroimaging study, published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports. Researchers looked at 353 participants age 39 to 45 who underwent an MRI and used neurological and neuropsychiatric assessments to find that moderate alcohol consumption (fewer than three drinks per day for females, four drinks per day or less for males) was associated with a smaller brain volume. An October 2008 neuroimaging study, published in JAMA Neurology, looked at 1,839 participants age 33 to 88 and found that higher levels of alcohol consumption were associated with smaller brain volume.
Source: The Effects of Alcohol to an Aging Brain Can’t Be Undone | Well+Good
