Drinking Alcohol Can Clear Brain Waste, Study Finds

A study published in Scientific Reports suggests drinking the equivalent of about 2.5 alcoholic drinks daily could reduce brain inflammation, as well as boost the function of the glymphatic system, which governs the cleansing of waste products from the brain, reports Medical News Today . The researchers determined when mice were exposed to high doses of alcohol over a prolonged period, there was an increase in inflammatory markers observed in the astrocyte cells that help control glymphatic function. Mice that were given "low" doses of alcohol — which was the equivalent of consuming around 2.5 alcohol beverages a day — showed not only a reduction in brain inflammation, but improvement in their glymphatic function, compared with a control group that was not exposed to alcohol. "The data on the effects of alcohol on the glymphatic system seemingly matches the J-shaped model relating to the dose effects of alcohol on general health and mortality, whereby low doses of alcohol are beneficial, while excessive consumption is detrimental to overall health," says the University of Rochester Medical Center's Dr. Maiken Nedergaard.