Men who are habitual heavy drinkers, downing more than two pints of beer every day, are likely to start having the sort of memory lapses, that are commonly associated with ageing, up to six years early, Guardian reported based on a new study.

The long-term effect of alcohol on the brain has not been extensively researched. Most studies have looked at elderly people, who have usually stopped or considerably reduced their drinking.

The paper by scientists at University College London published in the journal Neurology looks at the drinking habits of a large group of middle-aged men and women and their performance in cognitive functioning tests – how well they think and remember things – 10 years later.

It appears to show that heavy drinking, at least in men, leads to significant deterioration over the long term.

Not enough women in the study were heavy drinkers for the scientists to conclude the same things happened to them.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)