Study finds eight or more alcoholic drinks per week can have drastic effect on brain function

A new study has found drinking eight or more alcoholic drinks per week can have a drastic impact on brain function going forward.

Especially when the summer is in full swing and the sun is out, it'll be rude not to have a beer or two in the backyard with family or friends.

However, health experts have warned it's all about moderation, so while it may be temping to have another beer, you may want to think twice before cracking open another one.

That's because a new study published online in Neurology detailed some concerning findings in relation to heavy drinkers and subsequent brain function.

You may want to think twice about having another drink... (Getty Stock Photo)

Experts, who published their findings in the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), found those have eight or more alcoholic drinks per week have an increased risk of developing brain lesions known as hyaline arteriolosclerosis.

The condition sees the walls of small arteries (arterioles) thicken due to the accumulation of a pink-staining material called hyaline.

It causes small blood vessels to narrow and become stiff, which in turn makes it harder for blood to flow, the AAN explains in a press release.

As it appears as lesions - areas of damaged tissue in the brain - it can cause damage to the brain over time, including issues related to memory and problem thinking.

The study included 1,8781 deceased people who died at the average age of 75 and all had brain autopsies.

Researchers divided the sample size into groups: 965 people who never drank, 319 moderate drinkers who had seven or fewer drinks per week; 129 heavy drinkers who had eight or more drinks in seven days; and 368 former heavy drinkers.

Explaining what was defined as one drink, a press release stated: "Researchers defined one drink as having 14 grams of alcohol, which is about 350 millliliters (ml) of beer, 150 ml of wine or 45 ml of distilled spirits."

The study looked into how alcohol consumption impacts brain function (Getty Stock Photo)

After taking into account factors that could affect brain health, such as age at death and smoking, experts uncovered heavy drinkers had 133 percent higher chance of having vascular brain lesions compared to those who had never touched alcohol before.

Experts worryingly found that heavy drinkers died on average 13 years earlier than those who never had a drop of booze.

Alberto Fernando Oliveira Justo, PhD, of University of Sao Paulo Medical School in Brazil, and lead author of the study said: "Heavy alcohol consumption is a major global health concern linked to increased health problems and death.

"We found heavy drinking is directly linked to signs of injury in the brain, and this can cause long-term effects on brain health, which may impact memory and thinking abilities.

"Understanding these effects is crucial for public health awareness and continuing to implement preventive measures to reduce heavy drinking."