Skip to content

Does Alcohol kill brain cells?

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

This myth is HUGE! Urban legend says that drinking kills cells, some even say: ‘three beers kill 10,000 brain cells.’ Thankfully, they are wrong.

In microbiology labs, a 70% alcohol 30% water mix is used to clean surfaces pretty efficiently. It seems our neurons are made of sturdier stuff.

Alcohol does affect brain cells. Everyone knows that and it isn’t pretty. Alcohol can damage dendrites, which are delicate neural extensions that usually convey signals to other neurons. Damaging them prevents information travelling from one neuron to another — a problem. Luckily, the damage isn’t permanent.

Author

More to Explore

A Blood Test That Could Follow Cancer in Real Time

28/08/2026 No Comments

A pioneering collaboration between Omnigene Medical Technologies Ltd and the University of Malta is developing a liquid biopsy platform that could transform how cancer is monitored. Called M3Profiler, the technology analyses tumour-derived exosomes – tiny vesicles released into the bloodstream by cancer cells – to generate detailed molecular profiles from just a small blood sample.

Can Your Genes Influence Addiction Risk?

28/08/2026 No Comments

Why do some people develop addiction while others do not, even when exposed to similar life experiences or substances? While environment, trauma, stress, and social circumstances are all major contributors, new research increasingly suggests that biology also plays an important role.

Malta and Uzbekistan: A Tale of Two Countries

27/08/2026 No Comments

A joint effort between UM’s Department of Translation, Terminology and Interpreting Studies and Prof. Gulnoza Odilova, who heads the Department of Theory and Practice of Translation at Kimyo International University of Tashkent, has led to the production of Rakkonti mill-Bogħod, Stejjer Qosra mill-Użbekistan, published by Kite Group in March 2025. Funded by the 2024 Malta Book Fund, Prof. Sergio Portelli and Dr Claudine Borg edited the translation of ten classic stories of Uzbek heritage and folklore into Maltese.

Comments are closed for this article!