In a mouse study, scientists from the University of Rochester Medical Center
(URMC) in New York found that drinking the equivalent to around 2.5 alcoholic drinks per day could reduce brain inflammation.
It was also found to increase the function of the glymphatic system, which is responsible for removing waste products from the brain.
High alcohol exposure, however, was found to impair glymphatic function and increase brain inflammation.
Lead study author Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine at URMC, and colleagues recently reported their findings in the journal Scientific Reports.
It should come as no surprise that excess alcohol intake can harm health. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) reportthat alcohol is a contributor to "more than 200 health conditions" and causes around 3.3 million deaths across the globe each year.
Increasingly, however, research has suggested that a little alcohol may do us good.
A study reported by Medical News Todaylast year, for example, suggested that moderate drinking could reduce the risk of diabetes, while other research linked moderate alcohol intake with better cognitive functioning.
The new study provides further evidence of the potential brain benefits of moderate drinking, after finding that a couple of drinks every day could help to clear the brain of toxins.