No amount of alcohol is ‘safe’ for consumption, finds Oxford study

Possibly settling the debate once and for all, a large Oxford study has found that there is no 'safe amount' when it comes to drinking alcohol.

The observational study of over 25,000 people, which is still to be peer-reviewed, found that alcohol consumption has an impact on the brain's grey matter, the parts where information is processed. The more alcohol you consume, the lower your brain volume, remarked the lead researcher.

Adding to a growing body of evidence stacked against booze, the findings confirm that 'there’s no threshold drinking for harm – any alcohol is worse.' 

In fact, the type of alcohol including wine, spirits or beers did not make a difference, meaning that no drink is better or worse than the other.

However, certain characteristics, such as high blood pressure, obesity or binge drinking, could put people at higher risk, researchers added.

It is important to note that while alcohol made a small contribution to this (0.8%) decline in brain volume, it was also a greater contribution than other 'modifiable' risk factors.