Heavy Alcohol Use May Slow Brain Growth: Study

According to a study, heavy consumption of alcohol may slow down the rate of brain growth in humans.

Heavy use of alcohol may slow the rate of growth in developing brains, according to a study conducted in monkeys.

The study, published in the journal eNeuro, shows that heavy alcohol use reduced the rate of brain growth by 0.25 milliliters per year for every gram of alcohol consumed per kilogram of body weight.

In human terms, that is the equivalent of four beers per day, said researchers from the Oregon Health and Science University in the US.

"Chronic alcohol self-intoxication reduced the growth rate of brain, cerebral white matter and subcortical thalamus," researchers said in a statement.

They measured brain growth through magnetic resonance imaging of 71 rhesus macaques that voluntarily consumed ethanol or beverage alcohol.