I keep telling people - alcohol kills off the weak, sick brain cells first, thus making the whole brain comparatively stronger, like predators picking off the sick, weak wildebeests, thus making the herd stronger.

JS Online: Alcohol may help mind stay sharp

In the largest such study to date, older women who drank moderately had less mental decline than those who abstained.

The study is one of the most comprehensive looks yet at an issue that is gathering urgency as America ages: Are there ways to prevent the cognitive decline that often comes with old age?

Monitoring the drinking histories of 11,102 nurses for nearly 20 years, researchers found that light to moderate drinking of any kind of alcoholic beverage reduced the risk of mental decline by more than 20%, compared with abstinence.

Essentially, their brains were the cognitive equivalent of being 1.5 years younger.

"I recommend moderate drinking," said lead author Meir Stampfer, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.

You gonna argue? The guy's a scientist!