An observational study in the October 2008 issue of Archives of Neurology suggests that drinking alcohol may shrink the brain. But the clinical significance of this shrinkage remains unknown.

Moderate drinking alcohol is highly touted for its possible yet questionable benefits for heart health. But researchers fear that even small amounts of alcohol may attenuate-age related declines in brain volume.

The brain is shrinking with age and researchers have estimated that the brain volume decreases at a rate 1.9 percent per decade while white matter lesions in the brain increase with age.

Both lower brain volume and large white matter lesions have been associated also with the progression of dementia and problems with thinking.

The study led by Carol Ann Paul, M.S., of Wellesley College, Mass. and colleagues involved 1,839 adults ages 60 on average who were part of the Framingham Offspring Study which was initiated in 1971.  

Study subjects underwent magnetic resonance imaging or MRI and a health examination was conducted between 1999 and 2001. Alcohol consumption and other factors including age, sex, education, height, body mass index, and stroke risk were surveyed.

"Most participants reported low alcohol consumption, and men were more likely than women to be moderate or heavy drinkers," the authors wrote.

"There was a significant negative linear relationship between alcohol consumption and total cerebral brain volume."

A stronger association between alcohol drinking and the decrease in the brain volume was found in women even though men were more likely to drink alcohol, according to the researchers.

Similar results were presented by the same authors at the American Academy of Neurology's 59th Annual Meeting in Boston, April 28 - May 5, 2007.

At the meeting, they reported that people who had more than 14 drinks per week had an average 1.6 percent reduction in the ratio of brain volume to skull size compared to people who didn't drink.

"The public health effect of this study gives a clear message about the possible dangers of drinking alcohol," the authors write.

"Prospective longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these results as well as to determine whether there are any functional consequences associated with increasing alcohol consumption. This study suggests that, unlike the associations with cardiovascular disease, alcohol consumption does not have any protective effect on brain volume."

U.S. physicians recommend those who drink should drink in moderation and those who do not drink should never start drinking.   Alcohol can cause some serious health problems while its cardiovascular benefits are still questionable.