Alcohol consumed in moderation by adults over the age of 60 may have a protective effect on the brain that helps stave off the development of Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

At least that is what a new study claims. Researchers studied over 600 senior citizens, surveying them to find out their alcohol consumption habits and gathering MRIs to help assess their overall brain health. Risk factors for Alzheimer’s were analyzed and none of the participants had any form of dementia at the time of the study.

People who drank lightly were found to perform better on memory tasks and those who drank at moderate levels were shown to have larger hippocampuses. Since the hippocampus is associated with memory, researchers theorize that moderate consumption of alcohol stimulates synapse growth in that region of the brain, making it grow. Other studies have backed up this notion through animal testing.

This effect appears to only be beneficial to people over the age of 60.

There are limitations to the conclusions drawn by this study. Brian Downer, the study’s lead author, pointed out that their testing was not able to determine if alcohol was the factor that caused improved memory. It is possible that those who are healthier at this stage in life are also able to continue drinking and perform better on cognitive tests.

The debate over whether or not alcohol has health benefits is far from being settled. While there is some research that indicates that alcohol can protect against diabetes, cancer, heart disease and gall stones, there is far more evidence to support the health risks associated with drinking.

David Nutt, Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London points out a common flaw in research that claims health benefits for alcohol is the lack of controlled randomized trial methods. He says that groups who drink moderately should be compared to groups who do not drink and groups that drink more heavily before reliable evidence can be gathered.