Research by academics at the University of Glasgow suggests that moderate alcohol consumption may improve the function of older women's brains.

苏格兰格拉斯哥大学科学家的研究指出，适量饮酒有助于改善老年妇女的脑部功能。

Drinking a small glass of wine a day can protect women against dementia, a new study has claimed.

一项新研究发现，每日小酌一杯，有助于防止女性痴呆。

A unit of alcohol is a 125ml glass of wine at about 8% alcohol by volume. Although the results among male drinkers and non-drinkers were similar, women who consumed between one and seven units of alcohol a week performed significantly better than those who seldom drank or were teetotal.

以125毫升、酒精浓度为8%的酒为一个单位来计算。结果显示，尽管男性饮酒者和不饮酒者的脑部功能相差不大，但每周饮一至七个单位的女性，却要比平日很少喝酒或是滴酒不沾的女性表现更好。

Current government guidelines recommend that women drink no more than two to three units per day and men no more than three to four.

政府建议女性每日饮酒不超过两至三个单位，男性每日饮酒不超过三至四个单位。

The study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, concludes that drinking one to seven units of alcohol a week may delay cognitive decline and the onset of dementia, a degenerative condition that affects memory, attention, language and problem-solving.

这项研究成果已经在《美国老年学会期刊》上发表。研究发现，每周饮酒七个单位能有效延缓人体大脑认知能力的衰退，并对影响人体记忆、注意力、语言和解决问题能力的一系列痴呆症状起到预防作用。

Scientists believe alcohol may stimulate the release of oestrogen in women, a hormone thought to protect the brain. However, the mechanism by which it is triggered is not fully understood.

科学家认为，酒精能刺激女性体内分泌出一种有益于保护大脑的荷尔蒙雌激素，但究竟酒精是如何刺激人体产生这种激素的，目前仍是一个未解之谜。

"We were interested in exploring the effects of alcohol on memory, thinking and cognition," said David Stott, professor of geriatric medicine at the University of Glasgow.

格拉斯哥大学老年病药学专家戴维·斯托特说：“我们非常有兴趣去探究酒精对人体记忆、思考和认知功能所产生的作用。”

"We found that modest amounts of alcohol in women seem to be associated with a delay in cognitive decline, such as speed of thought and how you use language and words. If these become serious, they can be signs of dementia. "

“我们发现女性体内极少量的酒精就能延缓诸如思考速度，语言和文字水平等认知能力的下降。如果上述能力持续下降，就会成为痴呆症的征兆。”

"This is not an endorsement to drink to excess--large amounts of alcohol will damage your brain--but the occasional tipple may do you some good."

“这项研究成果并不代表人们可以酗酒——过量的酒精会伤害你的大脑，偶尔的小酌才对你的身体有所帮助。”