by HealthDay News:
Alcohol poses the greatest threat to brain health at three periods of a person’s life, according to new research.
During those three periods — from conception to birth, from ages 15 to 19, and after age 65 — people undergo “dynamic” brain changes that may be particularly sensitive to the harmful effects of alcohol, researchers say.
Worldwide, about 10% of pregnant women drink. Heavy drinking during pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and even low or moderate drinking during pregnancy is associated with poorer brain health and behavior in children, according to the authors of a paper published Dec. 7 in the BMJ journal.