Female teenagers risk brain damage from binge drinking

Female teenagers who indulge in a spot of binge drinking too often are putting themselves at risk of damaging the part of their brain that controls memory and spatial awareness. The dangers of drinking too much alcohol within a short space of time and at a young age have long been known, but new research from Stanford University in California has found that adolescent girls are the group most at risk of suffering damage to their brains.

The explanation for this seems to rest in the fact that women's brains develop earlier than men's. The study found that female teenage binge drinkers had less brain activity in a number of regions than non-drinking female teens, with MRI scans used to measure brain activation during a specific spatial task. Meanwhile, the male participants in the tests didn't show anything like the same abnormalities.

Although it's easy to ignore health warnings when you're young and carefree, these results should at least provide teenagers with something to think about. After all, damage to such regions of the brain can, in the future, cause problems when driving, taking part in sports, using maps, and remembering routes. Logical thinking and reasoning are two functions that may also be affected.

It's worth remembering, whether you're a female teenager or not, that alcohol is something to be enjoyed in moderation at all times, as responsible brands such as Fosters – who have recently launched a batch of videos featuring comedians reeves and Mortimer – are always keen to point out.