IT'S OFFICIAL ladies and gentlemen. Alcohol is good for you! No wonder us Irish are so prosperous and widespread all over the world.
But before you go chugging back that gorgeous bottle of chateauneuf du pape that's been sitting on the kitchen counter for just such a celebration, let's put away the funnel and the tea-towels and look at the study's results in a little more detail.
Published in JAMA Network Open, the study found that having two alcoholic drinks a day could slow mental decline and preserve brain function.
Researchers from the University of Georgia (UGA) analysed the link between alcohol consumption and changes in brain function over time among 19,887 middle-aged and older adults.
The results revealed that those who enjoyed a regular drink (up to 8 per week for women and up to 15 per week for men) were a third less likely to have decreased cognitive function compared to teetotallers.
This includes learning, thinking, reasoning, remembering, problem solving, decision making and attention.
On average, the low to moderate drinkers had 29% less chance of having a lower mental capacity compared to people who never drink.
Study authors identified the optimal alcoholic intake was 10 to 14 drinks per week. So to the Irish folk reading this, we're going to have to scale the drinking back a little, but that's OK.
The next time someone tells you off for having 'one too many' and accuses you of killing your brain cells, feel free to remind them just how wrong they are!
