New research suggests having just one drink a day could permanently damage our brains. That’s a real bummer for all you weekend warriors.
An Oxford University-speared team of researchers have linked the consumption of seven or more standard drinks per week to higher iron levels in the brain among 21,000 people.
Iron accumulation has been linked to diseases including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and this new research suggests that higher levels of the mineral could also play a part in alcohol-related cognitive decline.
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Anya Topiwala of Oxford University led the study, published on PLOS Medicine, and participants - who were from the UK Biobank - reported their own alcohol consumption before undergoing MRI scans.
Nearly 7,000 MRI scans were carried out on participants’ livers to determine systemic iron levels and those taking part also completed simple cognitive and motor function tests.
One average, participants consumed around 18 standard drinks a week and Topiwala’s team found that those consuming more than seven standard drinks a week showed markers of higher iron in the part of the brain that’s associated with motor movement control, cognition, eye movement and more.
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The average age of those taking part was 55 and 48.6% were female.
It’s worth noting that Topiwala and co did point out that alcohol-induced brain changes could have simply been conflated with changes caused by other factors, but that the prevalence of moderate drinking among participants was evidence enough to suggest reducing booze consumption is a wise choice.
While we’re on the booze front, anyone who has no intention of cutting back on nice cold pints, regardless of the information above - *raises hand* - will be delighted to hear that as of this month, there’s a ‘ground-breaking’ new hangover pill on the market.
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Costing just £1 a pop, Myrkl’s new pre-drinking pill promises to ‘rapidly break down alcohol’ so that you can avoid a sore head the morning after the night before.
The food supplement, which is 100 percent natural and vegan, costs £30 for a pack of 30 pills.
It was invented back in 1990 by scientist Johan de Faire, and has now been 'perfected over 30 years of research and design'.
Users simply take two pills before drinking – either at least one hour before or any time up to 12 hours before.
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Up to 70 percent of alcohol is then broken down after just 60 minutes, with the product also claiming to support immunity and boost energy levels with B12.
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Topics: Science, Food and Drink
Aisha Nozari