Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Even In Moderation, Drinking Alcohol Has Lasting, Negative Effect On The Brain
USA Today: Study: Even Moderate Drinking Might Be Bad For Aging Brains
Here’s one more reason to think before you drink: even a modest amount of booze might be bad for aging brains. A new study published Tuesday in the medical journal BMJ says moderate drinkers were more likely than abstainers or light drinkers to develop worrisome brain changes that might signal eventual memory loss. They also were more likely to show rapid slippage on a language test, though not on several other cognitive tests. (Painter, 6/6)
Stat: Even Moderate Drinking May Speed Brain Decline
The study only looked at a few hundred Londoners, mostly well-educated and middle-class, so it may not be representative of a wider population. Topiwala also pointed out there might have been “selection bias” in the sample — individuals had to get from London to Oxford in order to undergo the MRI scans and then spend an hour in a brain scanning machine and undergo other memory tests — which individuals who were alcohol dependent or had suffered brain damage from alcohol use might be less likely to do. (Swetlitz, 6/6)
