We learned that you might have to rethink wine’s status as a ‘health food’.

A study from Rutgers University found that moderate drinking could decrease the number of new brain cells your body produces by up to 40 percent.

Research has gone back and forth on the apparent health benefits of alcohol, particularly red wine and its positive effect on cardiovascular health.  But this new study found that rats that repeatedly had their blood alcohol level raised to 0.08 percent over a two weeks produced fewer brain cells than rats that were not given alcohol at all. 

Specifically, this moderate amount of alcohol – which translates to about 3 to 4 drinks for women and five drinks for men – negatively affected the hippocampus, the part of the brain where new neurons are made and which helps the brain learn new tasks.