Study shows vital organ shrinks in those who drink every day

A study has found drinkers who like a pint of beer or glass of wine every day show more signs their vital organ is shrinking. Researchers looked at brain scans from thousands of Britons aged between 45 to 81, and compared it with their drinking habits. For every extra gram of alcohol consumed per day, participants brains' were 0.02 years older - the equivalent of a day and a half. An 'old' brain would show more signs of deterioration than the brains of average people the same age in scans. Certain lifestyle habits, such as heavy smoking and alcohol consumption, will alter how the brain works. For the first time, the researchers at Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California were able to quantify how booze - as well as smoking - leads to brain ageing.