JUST a few alcoholic drinks a week may be enough to shrink the brain, according to US research.

Middle-aged men and women who consume moderate amounts of alcohol on a regular basis tend to have lower concentrations of brain tissue than teetotallers or occasional drinkers, scientists have discovered.

While heavy drinking has long been linked to a decrease in brain size, which can lead to impaired mental abilities, the study from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, suggests that a lower intake of alcohol may also be risky.

It also found that a moderate intake of alcohol had no effect on a person’s risk of stroke. Previous research had indicated that sensible drinking might offer a measure of protection.

In the study, a team led by Jingzhong Ding used magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brains of almost 2,000 volunteers aged 55 and older, and asked them about their drinking habits.

None of the participants was a heavy drinker, and they were divided into teetotallers, former drinkers, occasional drinkers (less than one drink a week), low drinkers (one to six drinks) and moderate drinkers (seven to 14 drinks).

As the volunteers’ alcohol intake rose, the scans showed an increasing volume in the ventricular and sulcal regions of the brain — “empty” areas that contain only cerebrospinal fluid and no nervous tissue.

An increase in the size of these areas is a sign of brain atrophy or shrinkage, which is in turn associated with a loss of cognitive function and declining motor skills.

“Previous studies conducted with older adults found an association between heavy drinking, brain atrophy and an increased risk for stroke,” Dr Ding said.

“We studied a younger, middle-aged population and found low amounts of alcohol consumption are also associated with decreases in brain size.

“Our findings do not support the hypothesis.”

Details of the study are published today in the journal Stroke.

Times Recommends

• Tower block death blaze ‘suspicious’
• Licence payers fund BBC chief's £8m pension
• Potter star falls victim to swine flu