A 2025 study published in Neurology adds weight to growing concerns about alcohol’s long-term impact on brain health.

Researchers at the University of São Paulo Medical School analyzed brain tissue from 1,781 deceased individuals, with an average age of seventy-five at time of passing.

The study found that those who consumed eight or more alcoholic drinks per week were significantly more likely to have hyaline arteriolosclerosis—a form of small vessel disease that restricts blood flow in the brain and has been linked to memory and cognitive problems.

The study also revealed that both heavy and former heavy drinkers had a higher likelihood of developing tau tangles—abnormal protein structures in the brain that are closely linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

In fact, tau tangles were more common in this group than in participants who had never consumed alcohol. Perhaps most striking: individuals classified as heavy drinkers died an average of thirteen years earlier than lifelong non-drinkers.

Researchers accounted for other health factors, including smoking, hypertension, and diabetes, and found that alcohol’s link to brain pathology remained significant.

While moderate alcohol use is often perceived as safe—or even beneficial—this study suggests the threshold for harm may be lower than previously thought.

For aging adults, especially, reducing alcohol intake may be one of the simplest ways to support or maintain brain longevity.

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Adapted from the University of São Paulo Medical School. “Eight or more drinks per week linked to signs of injury in the brain.” ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250409173113.htm