[lbo-talk] Drinking causes brain shrinkage over long term

[John Thornton]

B. wrote:
> Among those who drank the most, more than 14 drinks a week, the brain was one per cent smaller on average, compared with abstainers, the researchers found, after correcting for head size, age, sex, education, height, body mass index and stroke risk.
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> "The public health effect of this study gives a clear message about the possible dangers of drinking alcohol," the study's authors wrote.
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> Almost 38 per cent of men and more than 44 per cent of women fell into the low consumption category, having one to seven drinks per week.
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> While men were more likely to drink alcohol, the association between drinking and loss of brain volume was stronger in women, perhaps because women may be more susceptible to the effects of alcohol, the researchers say.

Alcohol is a diuretic and the brain is 70% water.
Women have lower water weight mass throughout their body than men do.
Doesn't this seem to explain these results pretty well?
Why does a 1% decrease in brain mass send a "clear message about the 
possible dangers of drinking alcohol"?

John Thornton