More than a Drink a Day Could Speed Up Memory Loss by 6 Years in Men

A new study marks a sad day for beer buddies across the globe. According to researchers from the University College of London, men who drink two alcoholic drinks per day during middle age may speed up their memory loss by as much as six years.

However, the study adds that there's no significant difference in memory or mental function between non-drinkers and those who drank less than two drinks.

"Our study focused on middle-aged participants and suggests that heavy drinking is associated with faster decline in all areas of cognitive function in men," said study author Severine Sabia of the University College of London, via a press release. 

The researchers examined 5,000 middle-aged men who were interviewed about their drinking habits three times over a 10-year-period. Starting at the age of 56, they underwent memory and other cognitive tests that were repeated twice throughout the study period.

Results showed that the mental ability of heavy drinkers declined up to six times years faster than those that consumed less alcohol per day. Men who drank at least 36 grams of alcohol or more a day saw the most significant memory decline, according to the study.

Though some women were also included in the study, there were not enough heavy drinkers among the population to determine any results.

"These latest results could serve as one more reason to stick to any new year's resolutions to cut back on alcohol," Simon Ridley, head of research at the dementia research charity Alzheimer's Research UK said, via The Guardian. "Observational studies such as this can be important for identifying factors that may influence the risk of memory decline or disease, but it's difficult to pinpoint cause and effect with this type of research.