Posted on 01/30/2004 8:06:06 PM PST by concentric circles
A team of scientists at Finland's National Public Health Institute are scratching their heads over their latest findings: Rats bred to drink alcohol live longer, healthier lives than rats bred to refuse alcohol -- whether or not the rodents actually consume alcohol during their lifetimes.
The research, published in the January issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, found that 80 percent of rats bred to prefer alcohol-laced water over regular water lived to be two years old (an age that represents longevity in rats). Only 40 percent of the rats bred to spurn alcohol lived that long, with many succumbing to ailments such as cancer and heart and kidney diseases. That held true even though the researchers forced some alcohol-averse rats to drink and denied alcohol to others that liked it.
"This is a difference in health related to genetics, not to the effects of alcohol," said co-author David Sinclair. "The fascinating point then is whether these dramatic genetic differences in rats have any parallel in humans. Are there beneficial features related to genes that otherwise promote alcoholism, or detrimental effects from genes that protect from alcoholism?"
The team initially set out to examine the long-term effects of heavy alcohol consumption. They acquired 194 rats that had been bred over several generations to prefer alcohol in their water supply and 123 bred to avoid alcohol.
The rats were offered a choice of two beverages to go with a standard rodent diet. One beverage was plain water, while the other contained water with 10 percent to 12 percent ethanol (the intoxicating agent in alcoholic beverages). To put it into perspective, Sinclair said, "For a human, drinking only an alcoholic beverage with 10 percent ethanol would constitute rather heavy drinking."
For the first three months, the expected occurred: The rats bred to avoid alcohol did just that, drinking primarily from the water-only tray. On the other hand, the "alcoholic" rats preferred to drink the booze-with-water cocktail.
After three months, the scientists divided each of the two genetic types of rats into two separate groups. Then, one group of "alcoholic" rats and one group of "non-alcoholic" rats were supplied only the alcohol-and-water. The other alcoholic and non-alcoholic groups were supplied only water.
As the rats died, each one underwent an extensive autopsy, with every symptom of chronic illnesses, such as cysts in the kidneys, being recorded. At two years of age, the remaining rats were killed and examined.
The scientists found that actual alcohol consumption had little to no effect on the overall health of the rats or how long they lived. For example, 68 percent of the "non-alcoholic" rats that died within two years died from kidney disease, while only 18 percent of the "alcoholic" rats that died before the end of the two-year period died of kidney disease.
Although the scientists had at first thought that they might find that forcing the non-alcoholic rats to drink was detrimental, that was not the case. "There was a careful analysis made comparing [non-alcoholic] rats that were maintained on water and those forced to drink alcohol, and there were no significant differences in health, weight, or longevity between them," said Sinclair. Likewise, there were no significant differences between the two groups of "alcoholic" rats.
Sinclair said the findings support two possible theories. One, that genes that promote alcohol consumption may, in some way, perform a function that benefits overall health and longevity. Second, that rats and humans are too distinct genetically to draw any solid health recommendations from these findings.
"When it comes to tissue damage from alcohol, rats are very tough creatures, and resist the damage -- perhaps partly because they metabolize alcohol quickly," he said. In contrast, he added, heavy alcohol consumption has more of a harmful effect on the health of humans.
Also published in the January issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research was a study in which researchers at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine and the Indiana University School of Medicine claim to have identified a gene that increases one's risk of developing alcoholism.
Working with data from a larger, ongoing national study on genetics and alcoholism, the scientists examined the DNA of 2,282 individuals in the United States from 262 families, most of which have members with alcohol dependence. The researchers found that among three different receptor genes related to nervous system functioning, only one tended to be expressed in those who had trouble controlling their drinking.
The scientists believe that alcoholism may be inherited to a degree, with people with these receptors being more likely to abuse alcohol and to pass that trait along to their offspring. However, lead author Danielle Dick, a research assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University, said the scientists "can't tell what the pathway might be that leads from receptor genes to alcoholism."
Another study, conducted at the University of California at San Francisco's Gallo Clinic and Research Center, also claims to have found a genetic link to alcohol abuse. Over a six-year period, the scientists gave roundworms enough alcohol to induce intoxication by pouring it on a flat surface and allowing the worms to absorb it through their skin.
After reviewing the worms' DNA, the investigators found that worms with a certain gene, called slo-1, showed signs of intoxication similar to those in humans -- decreased motor ability and generally sluggish behavior. However, worms with a mutated slo-1 gene tended to be impervious to alcohol intoxication, and continued to wriggle around unimpeded. The scientists believe that if people have a similar mutation, they would be able to drink more than the average person, which could mean they are more susceptible to alcholism. The results were published in the December issue of the journal Cell.
"I swear it's true!"
not that their biased or anything.
Over a six-year period, the scientists gave roundworms enough alcohol to induce intoxication by pouring it on a flat surface and allowing the worms to absorb it through their skin.
Heres Ted kennedy rolling in it
That is soooo saaaad! Hic!
An we humans have to wait until we're 21. I think the drinking age should be 10. That way, by the time your old enough to drive, you are a recovering alcoholic. Don't give a person his license first and then give him or her the right to drink a few years later.
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