Posted on 08/26/2011 12:49:36 PM PDT by Stoat
August 26, 2011 Light to moderate drinking seems to reduce the risk for dementia and cognitive decline, according to a new study published in the August issue of Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment. A meta-analysis of 143 studies on the effects of alcohol on the brain showed that moderate drinking, defined as no more than 2 drinks a day for a man and no more than 1 drink a day for a woman, reduced the risk for Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia by 23%. "It doesn't seem to matter if it's beer, wine, or spirits, as long as the drinking was moderate," Edward J. Neafsey, PhD, from the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics at Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois, told Medscape Medical News. Dr. Neafsey and coauthor Michael A. Collins, PhD, became interested in seeing whether alcohol might be protective of human brains after their experiments showed that rat brains exposed to low doses of alcohol for a few days demonstrated resiliency when subsequently treated with a toxin. "If the rat brain slices were treated for 5 or 6 days with low alcohol and then the toxin was administered, there was hardly any damage, whereas if they didn't get the pretreatment with alcohol, there was significant damage. This led us to ask if there was anything in the human literature that would fit with this protective effect of alcohol," Dr. Neafsey explained. The researchers reviewed studies dating from 1977 up to the present. The studies fell into 2 categories: those that provided ratios of risk between drinkers and nondrinkers (n = 74) and those that rated cognition in drinkers as "better," "no different," or "worse" than cognition in nondrinkers (n = 69). Heavy Drinking a Different Story Light to moderate drinking conferred a similar benefit, but heavy drinking (more than 3 - 5 drinks/day) was associated with a nonsignificantly higher risk for dementia and cognitive impairment. Most of the studies did not distinguish between the different types of alcohol, but in a few studies, wine appeared to be more beneficial than beer or spirits. "It really seemed to be that alcohol per se was protective, not the type, because the few studies that did make the distinction reported no difference among the effects of the different types of alcohol," Dr. Neafsey said. The protective effect of moderate drinking held after adjusting for age, education, sex, and smoking. A number of explanations for the protective effect of moderate alcohol have been proposed. Some dementias are related to cardiovascular system problems, such as atherosclerosis, and alcohol may be protective because it raises the level of high-density lipoprotein (the good) cholesterol and might improve blood flow in the brain. One theory that Dr. Neafsey and Dr. Collins are working on now holds that alcohol acts as a mild stressor for brain cells and "preconditions" them, making them better able to ward off stress. "Alcohol doesn't kill the brain cells, but it's a slight stress. When the cells are exposed they increase levels of various protective compounds, so...they are prepared when something more stressful that might kill or damage them comes along. The theory is called 'preconditioning,' where a mild stress given a few days before a severe stress causes a significant protection." Understanding the mechanism of alcohol's protective effect could lead to a treatment to prevent cognitive impairment and dementias, Dr. Neafsey said. "Whether it's treatment with a pill or a lifestyle change, if we could understand the mechanism, it would improve our ability to deal with these illnesses," he said. Novel Approach Medscape Medical News asked Anton P. Porsteinsson, MD, the William B. and Sheila Konar professor of psychiatry at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, New York, to comment on this study. "This is a well-done meta analysis. The findings are consistent with other meta analyses that have been done. Am I tremendously surprised at the findings? No, because they are looking at the same pool of studies," Dr. Porsteinsson said. "The fact that they approach it in slightly different ways and yet find similar outcomes makes me confident that this is what the data are actually signaling to us: that very modest alcohol consumption is protective," he said. The next step is to figure out how moderate alcohol consumption exerts its protective effect. "Is it some direct effect of the alcohol on the brain? Are people who consume moderate amounts of alcohol different in some way, in their diet, or their level of exercise? Are low concentrations of alcohol neuroprotective? Is it through some metabolic impact?" Dr. Porsteinsson said. Also interesting was that alcohol appeared to protect against all types of dementia, he said. "This makes it less likely to have a direct effect on beta amyloid or tau, but more of a global effect. It is an interesting review. They made it a pleasure to read." The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Neafsey, Dr. Collins, and Dr. Porsteinsson have disclosed no relevant financial relationships. Neuropsychiatric Dis Treat. 2011;7:465-484. Abstract
More Evidence Moderate Alcohol Reduces Cognitive Impairment
Pam Harrison
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/740233 April 5, 2011 (Toronto, Ontario) Heavy alcohol consumption is associated with an increased risk for cognitive impairment, whereas light to moderate alcohol consumption reduces the risk, a new study shows. Leung-Wing Chu, MD, from the University of Hong Kong, China, and colleagues found that the average weekly alcohol consumption in the cognitively impaired was significantly higher at a mean of 861.89 grams per week than that consumed by the normal cognition group at a mean of 241.21 grams per week (P < .001). Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) scores were also higher for light to moderate drinkers compared with both nondrinkers and heavy drinkers. In this analysis, more than 30 minutes a day of exercise was also independently associated with a 60% lower risk for cognitive impairment vs no exercise, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.40 (P = .02). Those who reported doing fewer than 30 minutes of exercise a day still had a 48% lower risk for cognitive impairment at an adjusted odds ratio of 0.52 (P = .05). The results were presented here at the Alzheimer's Disease International 26th International Conference. Chinese in Hong Kong For the study, the authors recruited a cross-sectional sample of 314 Southern Chinese older adults (mean age, 79.9 years) in Hong Kong. The MMSE along with participants' social demographic status, the presence of comorbid disease, and alcohol drinking habits were ascertained in a face-to-face interview. Heavy drinkers were defined as individuals who drank in excess of 400 grams of alcohol for men and more than 280 grams of alcohol for women. Light and moderate drinkers consumed less than 400 grams for men and less than 280 grams for women. Brandy containing 45% alcohol would deliver about 21 grams of alcohol in 1 drink: wine at 12% with about 9.6 grams of alcohol per glass and beer at 4% with about 10.5 grams in a can. Based on logistic regression analyses, researchers found that light drinkers had an adjusted odds ratio of 0.28 for cognitive impairment (P = .004), whereas moderate drinkers had an adjusted odds ratio of 0.15 for cognitive impairment (P < .001). In contrast, heavy drinkers had a 4.94 times greater adjusted odds ratio for cognitive impairment (P = .001). "This is a cross-sectional study and we cannot say for sure that there is a link between cause and effect, but in this small study, we found that heavy alcohol consumption is associated with increased risk for cognitive impairment, whereas light to moderate consumption is associated with reduced risk in older Chinese people, Dr. Chu concluded. Confirmatory Study Session chair, Amos Korczyn, MD, chairman, CONy World Congress on Controversies in Neurology, toldMedscape Medical News that this was another "confirmatory" study that once again demonstrated the harmful effects of heavy drinking on cognition. "We have known for years that in western populations some drinking is good for you and a lot of drinking is very bad for you, so we recommend that everybody drink a glass of wine every day maybe 2 and maybe even 3 but beyond that, it is detrimental. Now this has been confirmed among the Chinese, which is also very interesting." Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI) 26th International Conference: Abstract O051. Presented March 28, 2011
Thanks, Stoat.
Cheers ping.
I actually have a Brandy snifter that big.
Seriesly!
I kinda sorta have a collection of old bottles, beer mugs, and interesting glass items.
Okay - two drinks = 23% then four should = 46% and eight - waitaminnit~! WeHeR’s tH’ gLaSs?????
2 drinks a day ... I’m up to the year 2525 already
“Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) 26th International Conference: Abstract O051. Presented March 28, 2011”
Dammit, how did I forget to attend this conference?
Cliff expounds his "Buffalo Theory" to Norm:
Well, you see, Norm, its like this. A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, its the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.
In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine.
And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers.
rarely drink, so what is a good brandy and how can you fix it to make it taste better?
Not only keeping it away but chasing Alzheimer’s outta the state on a beer truck....errrrPP!
Yes. You'll frequently find liquid measures expressed in grams instead of ounces in medical parlance. Here's a convenient chart which may help in a conversion from grams to ounces:
Ounce | Gram | Ounce | Gram | Ounce | Gram | Ounce | Gram | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 28.3495231 | 26 | 737.0876006 | 51 | 1445.825678 | 76 | 2154.563756 | |||
2 | 56.6990462 | 27 | 765.4371237 | 52 | 1474.175201 | 77 | 2182.913279 | |||
3 | 85.0485693 | 28 | 793.7866468 | 53 | 1502.524724 | 78 | 2211.262802 | |||
4 | 113.3980924 | 29 | 822.1361699 | 54 | 1530.874247 | 79 | 2239.612325 | |||
5 | 141.7476155 | 30 | 850.485693 | 55 | 1559.223771 | 80 | 2267.961848 | |||
6 | 170.0971386 | 31 | 878.8352161 | 56 | 1587.573294 | 81 | 2296.311371 | |||
7 | 198.4466617 | 32 | 907.1847392 | 57 | 1615.922817 | 82 | 2324.660894 | |||
8 | 226.7961848 | 33 | 935.5342623 | 58 | 1644.27234 | 83 | 2353.010417 | |||
9 | 255.1457079 | 34 | 963.8837854 | 59 | 1672.621863 | 84 | 2381.35994 | |||
10 | 283.495231 | 35 | 992.2333085 | 60 | 1700.971386 | 85 | 2409.709464 | |||
11 | 311.8447541 | 36 | 1020.582832 | 61 | 1729.320909 | 86 | 2438.058987 | |||
12 | 340.1942772 | 37 | 1048.932355 | 62 | 1757.670432 | 87 | 2466.40851 | |||
13 | 368.5438003 | 38 | 1077.281878 | 63 | 1786.019955 | 88 | 2494.758033 | |||
14 | 396.8933234 | 39 | 1105.631401 | 64 | 1814.369478 | 89 | 2523.107556 | |||
15 | 425.2428465 | 40 | 1133.980924 | 65 | 1842.719002 | 90 | 2551.457079 | |||
16 | 453.5923696 | 41 | 1162.330447 | 66 | 1871.068525 | 100 | 2834.95231 | |||
17 | 481.9418927 | 42 | 1190.67997 | 67 | 1899.418048 | 125 | 3543.690388 | |||
18 | 510.2914158 | 43 | 1219.029493 | 68 | 1927.767571 | 150 | 4252.428465 | |||
19 | 538.6409389 | 44 | 1247.379016 | 69 | 1956.117094 | 175 | 4961.166543 | |||
20 | 566.990462 | 45 | 1275.72854 | 70 | 1984.466617 | 200 | 5669.90462 | |||
21 | 595.3399851 | 46 | 1304.078063 | 71 | 2012.81614 | 250 | 7087.380775 | |||
22 | 623.6895082 | 47 | 1332.427586 | 72 | 2041.165663 | 300 | 8504.85693 | |||
23 | 652.0390313 | 48 | 1360.777109 | 73 | 2069.515186 | 500 | 14174.76155 | |||
24 | 680.3885544 | 49 | 1389.126632 | 74 | 2097.864709 | 750 | 21262.14233 | |||
25 | 708.7380775 | 50 | 1417.476155 | 75 | 2126.214233 | 1000 | 28349.5231 |
Thank you
You're quite welcome, and I hope that this might be of some help :-)
That does it... I’m heading out and get ma’ beer. I earned it today!
That’s good to know...as I sit here with my glass of Chardonnay...
How does that reconcile with liquids of different densities?
I confess that I also rarely drink and so I should leave the recommendation of specific brands to people who are more in the league of spirit connoisseur than I am.
Of course there are the famous, expensive brands like Hennesy which will delight most people but as far as the lesser-known and lesser-priced brandies I'm afraid I'd be hard pressed to recommend one over another merely because I haven't tried many of them.
As to mixing brandies in a cocktail there are a variety of web pages with many recipes available. Hopefully these links might serve to get you started.:
Brandy Cocktail Recipes - Index of Cocktails and Mixed Drinks with Brandy and Cognac
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