Drinking alcohol even within government guidelines still adversely affects the body’s organs, research suggests.
A team at Imperial College London analysed MRI scans performed on thousands of people in late middle age, and found that alcohol consumption was linked to reduced brain matter volume, increased heart ventricle mass, and higher levels of fat on the liver.
Such changes have been linked to health conditions including Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular and liver disease.
There was no lower threshold of alcohol consumption below which they were not identified.
Professor Paul Elliott, who led the study, said: “In the UK and many places worldwide, it is recommended that men and women avoid more than one or two alcoholic drinks a day.
“Our results suggest that intake below these levels
