"All right, brain, I don't like you and you don't like me - so let's just do this and I'll get back to killing you with beer."
Homer Simpson
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
"All right, brain, I don't like you and you don't like me - so let's just do this and I'll get back to killing you with beer."
Homer Simpson
I’ve been trying to get my favorite watering hole to stock Irish whiskey – but they claim there’s no call for it. I told Sonny of my Irish ancestry (McEwen & MacIntyre) – and several others chimed in.
Hopefully it will be there next time I drop in.
Power lines, air pollution, democrats political campaign ads, today’s sitcoms …
Closing time syndrome?
Boat? Boat? Where?
AH! There it is!
The picture was familiar from a psychology class, but I just couldn’t see the old lady.
Eating Dark Salad Greens,Celery, green onions and Broccolli with a sprinkle of olive oil, raspberry vinager and feta cheese.
No need for moderation and your bowels will love you.
Pre-heat coffee cup with hot water. Dump water out...
1 shot Irish whiskey
1 TBL spoon brown sugar
Hot coffee
Add home made whip cream on top, sprinkle nutmeg on top.
The closest thing to Heaven.
By the way AF Mom... God speed to your son. I was in the Air Force back in the 70's. He's in good hands.
No call for Irish whiskey. How could they?
"...Well ya see, Norm, it’s like this. A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is 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. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, 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. That’s why you always feel smarter after a few beers...."
The biggest study done on this topic which was just released a few weeks ago concluded the exact opposite, that moderate to even heavy drinking increases intelligence.
The long-term study followed a large group of civil servants (30,000) in the UK. The study started in the 1960s and has added more drunkocrats over the years.
Long-term scientific studies are more apt to produce an accurate result than a short-term test-tube study.
The study found that those who had 3 to 5 drinks per day (moderate to heavy drinking that is) performed much better in their jobs and were promoted far more often than their non-drinking soberocrats. They also performed much better on the UK civil service testing standards.
It even seemed that the heavier the drinker, the more their performance improved.
Hey, NO FAIR! Elephants are only supposed to have a
FIFTH leg! ;-)
That optical illusion is also on Neil Boortz' website.
Be interesting to find out who had it first.
That's because they were out drinking with their boss! (grin)
If this study was true I would have had no brain cells by the time I was 30.
Yes, I thought that was a peculiar oversight. I also thought she should have mentioned as an aside the peripheral neuropathy that heavy drinkers can also suffer.
Would NA beer help the HDL?
I entered non-alcoholic beer AND HDL in to PubMed's search function. The above citation is one of the two found. I entered NA beer AND HDL and found nothing. When I entered non-alcoholic beer the first two articles out 30+ mentioned the possible beneficial effects of the non-alcoholic ingredients in beer. You're wellcome to try your luck. It's not a search with a quick yield. Let me know if you find anything.
Thank you! And I'm going to try this one as well. Sounds good.
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