TOO much alcohol dulls your senses, but a study in Japan shows that moderate
drinkers have a higher IQ than teetotallers.
Researchers at the National Institute for Longevity Sciences in Aichi
Prefecture, 250 kilometres west of Tokyo, tested the IQs of 2000 people between
the ages of 40 and 79. They found that, on average, men who drank
moderately鈥攄efined as less than 540 millilitres of sake or wine a
day鈥攈ad an IQ that was 3.3 points higher than men who did not drink at
all. Women drinkers scored 2.5 points higher than female teetotallers.
The type of alcohol didn鈥檛 influence the results. The volunteers tried a
variety of tipples, which ranged from beer and whisky to wine and sake.
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The researchers are quick to point out that the results do not necessarily
show that drinking will make you more intelligent. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very difficult to show
a cause-effect relationship,鈥� says senior researcher Hiroshi Shimokata. 鈥淲e
screened subjects for factors such as income and education, but there may be
other factors such as lifestyle and nutritional intake.鈥�
Shimokata says that people who drink sake, or Japanese rice wine, tend to eat
more raw fish. This could be a factor in enhanced intelligence, as fish often
contain essential fatty acids that have been linked to brain development.
Similarly, wine drinkers eat a lot of cheese, which is not something Japanese
people normally consume or buy. Shimokata says the high fat content of cheese is
thought to be good for the brain.
If alcoholic drinks are directly influencing IQ, Shimokata believes chemicals
such as polyphenols could be the critical factor. They are known to have
antioxidant properties and other beneficial effects on ageing bodies, such as
dilating constricted coronary arteries.
The study is part of a wider research project to find out why brain function
deteriorates with age.