One drink a day might be enough to stop dementia by flushing the brain | AI

Greta Rybus/Plainpicture

By Clare Wilson

LIGHT drinking helps prevent dementia, and now we may know why: it revs up the brain’s waste disposal system.

Brain cells are surrounded by a network of ultra-thin tubes that flush toxins and cell waste products away. Work in mice shows that low levels of alcohol stimulate this system, while higher amounts hinder it.

If the findings apply to people, the low levels would be equivalent to about two units of alcohol a day, which is about a pint of …