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Alcohol sharpens your brain, say researchers
The Sunday Telegraph ^ | August 1, 2004 | Robert Matthews

Posted on 07/31/2004 5:30:13 PM PDT by MadIvan

It is news guaranteed to raise a cheer among those who enjoy a glass or two: drinking half a bottle of wine a day can make your brain work better, especially if you are a woman.

Research to be published tomorrow by academics at University College London has found that those who even drink only one glass of wine a week have significantly sharper thought processes than teetotallers.

The benefits of alcohol, which are thought to be linked to its effect on the flow of blood to the brain, can be detected when a person drinks up to 30 units of alcohol - about four to five bottles of wine - per week.

The researchers were unable to test the effect of higher levels of alcohol consumption, although drunkenness probably negates any positive effects on the brain.

The findings have surprised health officials, who issued yet another warning last week about the dangers of overdrinking.

According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics, one in six women now drinks more than the Government's recommended limit of 14 units of alcohol a week - an increase of 70 per cent since the late 1980s. The recommended maximum weekly intake for men is 21 units.

The latest findings on the benefits of alcohol are drawn from a study of the long-term health of 10,000 British civil servants. Known as the Whitehall Study, it was originally set up in 1967 to identify links between health and factors ranging from smoking and obesity to age and social status.

In the latest research, a team led by Sir Michael Marmot, a professor of epidemiology and public health at University College London, gave psychometric tests to more than 6,000 civil servants.

The questions ranged from verbal and mathematical reasoning problems to tests of short-term memory. The civil servants' performance was then matched against their drinking habits.

The study took into account all alcohol consumption and was not specific to wine. However, the results showed that those having even a single glass of wine a week scored significantly higher in the tests than more abstemious drinkers. Teetotallers were twice as likely as occasional drinkers to achieve the lowest scores.

The benefits were most marked among women drinkers and, to the researchers' surprise, showed no sign of flattening out with increasing consumption.

Those who downed the equivalent of half a bottle of wine or two pints of beer a day scored best of all. The effects were apparent even after the results had been adjusted to take into account factors such as physical and mental health.

"Our results appear to suggest some specificity in the association between alcohol consumption and cognitive ability," said the team. "Frequent drinking may be more beneficial than drinking only on special occasions."

The team, whose findings are being reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology, suggests that the results may reflect the fact that alcohol can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and increase blood flow to the brain - factors linked to improved mental function.

The researchers also speculate that women might benefit more because of the different way in which they metabolise alcohol. However, they acknowledge that the benefits of alcohol can be outweighed by the increased risks of getting diseases such as cancer and cirrhosis, and that the findings should not be used as an excuse for heavier drinking.

Dr Guy Ratcliffe, the medical director of the Medical Council on Alcohol, said that the study would add to earlier evidence that moderate drinking could be beneficial - offering advantages such as a reduced risk of heart disease and strokes.

"This is a well-researched study, and it's important that information such as this is available so that people can make informed decisions about alcohol consumption," he said.

Kate Winstanley, the policy director of the Portman Group, set up by the industry to promote responsible drinking, welcomed the findings.

"There is a lot of concern about trends in women's drinking, especially young women, but the concern is chiefly about women who drink to get drunk. This study does seem to support the view that moderate drinking is better than none at all," she said.

The University College team is now hoping to continue the study to investigate whether alcohol can help slow the decline of mental function as people grow older. A recent American study suggested that drinkers suffered significantly less cognitive decline with age than teetotallers, with women again showing the greatest benefit.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: alcohol; brain; brainpower; health; oenology; wine
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To: MadIvan

My personal observations tend to confirm this study. Several glasses of wine often caused women to come around to my way of thinking. And I'm a freekin genius!


21 posted on 07/31/2004 5:54:14 PM PDT by nkycincinnatikid
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To: kcar

Sharpens spelling skills, too.


22 posted on 07/31/2004 5:55:34 PM PDT by RightWhale (Withdraw from the 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty and establish property rights)
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To: RightWhale
Sharpens spelling skills, too.

..Touc'he < hic! > :))

23 posted on 07/31/2004 6:01:30 PM PDT by skinkinthegrass (Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get you :)
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To: MadIvan
Junk science! My brain works just fine and I hardly ever imbibe any alcoholic beverages.
24 posted on 07/31/2004 6:03:34 PM PDT by nopardons
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To: RightWhale

You're right. I should have capitalized that T.


25 posted on 07/31/2004 6:03:59 PM PDT by kcar (www.TheUNsucks.com)
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To: BluH2o
I told mensa to go get f*cked.

"You want me to pay for what?"

26 posted on 07/31/2004 6:04:55 PM PDT by patton (I wish we could all look at the evil of abortion with the pure, honest heart of a child.)
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To: aruanan
Let's all become alcoholic women!

Yeah, they're all so attractive and successful.

/sarcasm

27 posted on 07/31/2004 6:08:51 PM PDT by the Deejay
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To: MadIvan
Those who downed the equivalent of half a bottle of wine or two pints of beer a day scored best of all.

I should be like Einstein already.

28 posted on 07/31/2004 6:09:51 PM PDT by BrooklynGOP (www.logicandsanity.com)
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To: kcar
I should have capitalized that T

I should have capiTalized ThaT T, OR EVERYtHING EXCEPt tHAt t. Let's do it. Bossa nova in D minor? 1, *, 2, *, 1, 2, 3, 4

29 posted on 07/31/2004 6:11:28 PM PDT by RightWhale (Withdraw from the 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty and establish property rights)
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To: RightWhale

"Beer-the cause of, and the solution to, all of life's problems."-Homer Simpson


30 posted on 07/31/2004 6:14:49 PM PDT by WestVirginiaRebel (Democrats are Communists in Americans' clothing.)
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To: snopercod

Conceding that this is nothing but a personal hunch: other things being equal, about a fifth to a litre a week of 80 proof vodka maximizes health.


31 posted on 07/31/2004 6:16:24 PM PDT by CAPTAIN PHOTON
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To: MadIvan
There is a definite difference between moderate drinking of alcohol such a half bottle of wine in a day and alcoholism. Stuides over the last ten years have linked moderate drinking with healthier hearts, better cholesterol levels and a slew of anti oxidants found in red wine and beer.

Ted Kennedy is not a moderate drinker, he's an alcoholic.

32 posted on 07/31/2004 6:17:29 PM PDT by Cacique
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To: MadIvan
Wonder which alcoholic beverage producer funded this gem. I've seen very little evidence that it enhances anything, except the imbiber's opinion of himself.

. Due to increasing products liability litigation, American beer Brewers have accepted the FDA's suggestion that the following warning labels be placed immediately on all beer containers:


33 posted on 07/31/2004 6:17:53 PM PDT by sweetliberty ("A wise man's heart inclines him to the right, but a fool's heart to the left." (Eccl. 10:2))
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To: MadIvan
If it did it wouldn't lead to the by now all too predictable threads! (But it would lead to the observation that it leads to the by now all too predictable threads, so there!)
34 posted on 07/31/2004 6:17:55 PM PDT by Revolting cat! ("In the end, nothing explains anything!")
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To: MadIvan

Then explain why the French are so stupid!


35 posted on 07/31/2004 6:18:33 PM PDT by Andy'smom
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To: MadIvan

A bubble durban tarbender! Lesh selerbrate!


36 posted on 07/31/2004 6:20:28 PM PDT by mercy
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To: sweetliberty
although drunkenness probably negates any positive effects on the brain.

They did throw in this little disclaimer. It helps explain Ted Kennedy and Molly Ivins.

37 posted on 07/31/2004 6:23:51 PM PDT by babaloo999 (Liberals say they're "Progressive". So is cancer.)
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To: MadIvan

Do you want to bet the study was paid for by the French Wine Industry?


38 posted on 07/31/2004 6:27:59 PM PDT by Chewbacca (I am single, because I like to work for a living, but not be forced to work for a living.)
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To: MadIvan

Well well. Time to trot out the elderberry wine. :)


39 posted on 07/31/2004 6:30:14 PM PDT by Graymatter (Countdown---95 more days.)
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To: inkling

Personally speaking, I know it never sharpened mine.


40 posted on 07/31/2004 6:33:43 PM PDT by Chieftain ('W' in '04!)
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