Posted on 11/27/2004 7:05:27 PM PST by neverdem
REALLY?
THE FACTS When ancient Greeks wanted to reassure guests that their wine had not been spiked with poison, they toasted to good health. While that may be less of a worry today, there remain hazards from indulging in too much alcohol - including, of course, hangovers. But one thing people who drink socially probably don't need to worry about is sacrificing brain cells in the process.
The research indicates that adults who drink in moderation are not in danger of losing brain cells.
The notion that alcohol snuffs out brain cells has been around for years. Many studies have linked drinking with mental deficits, and long-term damage from years of heavy drinking has been well documented. The developing brain is particularly vulnerable, some studies show, putting teenagers and unborn children at greatest risk.
But Dr. Roberta J. Pentney, a former researcher at the State University of New York at Buffalo, found that alcohol disrupts brain function in adults by damaging message-carrying dendrites on neurons in the cerebellum, a structure involved in learning and motor coordination. This reduces communication between neurons, alters their structure and causes some of the impairment associated with intoxication. It does not kill off entire cells, however.
A study in 1999 that examined the brains of alcoholics appeared to confirm this. Published in the journal Neuroscience, the research found that subjects who developed Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a severe disorder that ravages the memory and stems from a thiamine deficiency associated with alcoholism, had a marked reduction in cell density in the cerebellum.
But there was little difference between alcoholics who did not develop the syndrome and normal subjects, suggesting that it was largely a lack of thiamine in the Wernicke-Korsakoff patients that killed off their cells.
Other studies, including one published in The British Medical Journal in 1997, have produced similar findings.
THE BOTTOM LINE Alcohol may not kill brain cells per se, but it can impair brain function, among other things.
ANAHAD O'CONNOR
scitimes@nytimes.com
I wonder how many of mine croaked tonight. ;)
hMMMM, INTERESTING.
Was all set to trash it because from the NY SLIMES.
Sounds reasonable.
Dash a raleef.
More jnuk sciense. Booooze never hrut me!
Can't wait to show this to Wife who complains I spend too much time at the local watering hole. (Where I preach The Conservative Cause to the ratz BTW)
Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few!
And they're all dead!
prisoner6
Thank GOD for the New York Times! Save for this article, I would never have been aware of this.
NOT!
I'll drink to that.
What was I typing here? Uh I forgot Nevermind..
"Beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy."
Ben Franklin
I wonder if "moderate" is defined as "liberal" as so often is on FR?
In that case, I'm confused. I'll help my brain cells decide with another coconut rum and diet coke. ;)
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
THAT sounds good, I ran out of wine, so I'm onto coffee and brandy.
I'm not as think as you drunk I am.
Its the slowest and weakest brain cells that get killed off anyway.
So I figure, on average, drinking makes me smarter. :0)
There you go!! I like your thinking.
I think alcohol in moderation can be very good for most people. The Bible says "a little wine is good for the stomach". Wine has been proven to have all kinds of health benefits and I think it leads to healthier living overall.
Drunkenness is bad and you don't need to know that it kills brain cells to figure out why.
But doing ANYTHING immoderately is a bad idea.
Kwit typing so LOUD! I have a headache.
I'm down to two, a fact I can live with. The problem is, they hate each other.
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