[ad_1]
The world of alcohol research appears a little confused at the moment, at least from a public-messaging standpoint.
A study published in Nature in March seems to offer some of the most compelling evidence yet that even moderate drinking can harm the brain.
After examining brain scans from over 36,000 middle-aged and older adults from the UK Biobank, researchers found that 50-year-olds who drank an average of one 6-ounce glass of wine (175 milliliters) or a half-liter (roughly 1 US pint) can of beer per day over the past year had brains that appeared two years older than counterparts who only drank half those amounts.
ALSO READ: Red wine could be good for your digestive system, here’s why
Shrinkage increased with alcohol consumption, researchers wrote.
The study is one of the largest addressing the health impact of moderate drinking on the brain to date. But a lot of questions remain open.
Brain study
Though the results of the brain study seem straightforward at first glance, digging a little deeper reveals how much we still don’t know.
First, exactly how bad is two years of brain shrinkage? What does that mean to someone who suffers it? Does it cause noticeable changes in cognition or behavior? Alcohol researcher Patricia Molina, who directs Louisiana State University’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center of Excellence, said there was still no clear answer to that question.
Several lines of evidence show a relationship between loss of brain volume and cognitive impairment, she said. But she is also unaware of any conclusive studies showing a direct relationship between specific percentages of decreased brain volume and clinical manifestations that are evident to people or their doctors.
Molina said the study’s design also made it difficult to answer questions about how its results compare with the shrinkage caused by other activities and illnesses known to cause a decrease in brain matter, such as a lack of physical fitness or Huntington’s disease.
“A meta-analysis would be the closest way of getting to the answer,” Molina said. In other words, someone would have to look at the entire body of literature and analyze the results in a way that allows such comparisons to be made.
And another reason why such comparisons are hard to track, Molina said, is that different activities or illnesses cause different shrinkage in different places. Lounging around all day and eating only processed food, for example, might cause shrinkage in a different area of the brain than Huntington’s disease.
Then there’s the chicken-and-egg dilemma. Could it be that people inclined to drink alcohol regularly just have smaller brains in general than those who choose to abstain?
“That is a distinct possibility,” Molina said. “The only way of answering that question is by collecting brain images from early life.”
Researchers are looking to address this question through the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, Molina said. That study tracks changes in brain volumes over time while collecting data on alcohol and drug use.
But isn’t red wine good for you?
The evidence that binge drinking is harmful for the body and brain is conclusive. But when it comes to moderate drinking, things get a little trickier. A number of studies published over the past few decades, including one presented just a day before the brain study, appear to claim moderate drinking can actually be good for you.
Analyzing data also obtained through the UK Biobank from about 312,000 current drinkers, the researchers found that consuming the alcohol equivalent of about 5 ounces of wine with meals per day for women and 10 ounces for men was associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Jeanette Tetrault, a professor of medicine at Yale who specializes in alcohol addiction, said it was important to read beyond the headlines with this type of research.
Ultimately, she said, the study has merely found that, if you drink alcohol with food, you are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than if you drink alcohol without food. It’s less about alcohol being good for you.
“If you don’t read those nuances,” she said, “your interpretations can lead to some significant issues.”
Critics of such studies also say they often don’t account for important socioeconomic factors, and that touting the benefits of red wine is inherently biased. That’s because people with higher socioeconomic status, who are often already healthier to begin with, are more likely to report drinking a glass of red wine per day than those who aren’t.
Tread with caution
A 2018 New York Times investigation found that researchers involved in a large-scale 10-year study looking to track the impact of moderate alcohol consumption on health were heavily lobbied by the alcohol industry.
The $100 million used to fund the National Institute of Health (NIH) study was largely solicited from major players in the alcohol industry, among them Anheuser-Busch InBev. Its lead author, a professor of medicine at Harvard, assured alcohol executives in emails and conference calls that the results would lean in their favor.
When NIH investigators caught wind of the questionable practices, the study was stopped. Although nothing ended up being published, the situation is a reminder to be wary of results that seem too good to be true.
So how careful should I be?
A large 2018 study attempted to settle the moderate drinking debate: No level of alcohol consumption improves health, it said.
Using data from 195 countries over a 26-year period, study offered the most comprehensive estimate of alcohol’s global burden to date. But some scientists have pointed out flaws in the study’s design — for instance, that instead of tracking their results in numbers, the authors tracked results using relative language. When they did offer hard numbers, the level of harm seemed negotiable at best.
Risk of developing an alcohol-related health problem was 0.5% higher among people who had one drink per day compared with those who didn’t. In numerical terms, the study found that 914 in 100,000 people between the ages of 15 and 95 would develop a condition in one year if they did not drink. That number increased by a mere four people — to 918 people in 100,000 — if they did.
Given what we know today about alcohol consumption, Tetrault said she was not telling her patients to abstain altogether. She said she might use the brain study with patients who already have underlying conditions affecting their cognition or their brain function as a further means to counsel.
“But I wouldn’t necessarily utilize this data to try to change behaviors in patients who are really having no health consequences [and] know what their potential risks are,” she said. “I’m not telling all my patients they have to abstain.”
[ad_2]
Source link
cialis online cheap 9 percent decline
The fracture rates observed in the trial are unlikely to differ significantly from an equivalent Australian population, and the base case result was not sensitive to varying fracture risks can you take viagra with low blood pressure Kiefer T, Ram PT, Yuan L
Siphene tablet may lead to multiple births, you should discuss this with your doctor
Maternal age at birth and risk of breast cancer in daughters comprar levitra barata
Baik CS, Eaton KD discreet cialis meds
Our model uses a higher variant dose of furosemide 0 cialis levitra direct from india lower blood pressure pickle juice Good
exact allergy pills best allergy medication for itching allergy pills on sale
prednisone sale prednisone 5mg pill
how to cure gerd immediately and permanently combivir cost
antibiotics for pimple pills prednisolone 10mg ca acnomel adult acne medication genital
best heartburn relief fast order altace for sale
accutane order absorica online order accutane generic
telehealth consultation for cpap machine order melatonin 3 mg without prescription
amoxicillin sale order amoxicillin for sale order amoxicillin 1000mg without prescription
buy generic azithromycin azithromycin 500mg tablet azithromycin brand
order neurontin 100mg buy neurontin 100mg pill
order azithromycin 250mg online cheap azipro us where can i buy azithromycin
lasix 100mg pill buy furosemide for sale diuretic
buy prednisone 10mg generic buy prednisone 10mg generic
buy amoxicillin 1000mg online cheap amoxicillin price amoxil 250mg pills
order doxycycline 100mg sale buy doxycycline pills
albuterol for sale online purchase albuterol pill buy albuterol 2mg online cheap
augmentin 375mg cost augmentin price
buy vardenafil no prescription buy levitra 20mg online
how to get clomid without a prescription purchase serophene online buy serophene pill
buy semaglutide 14 mg without prescription cheap rybelsus 14mg buy rybelsus 14 mg online
cheap tizanidine 2mg buy generic tizanidine over the counter how to get tizanidine without a prescription
semaglutide pill buy semaglutide 14mg generic purchase rybelsus for sale
buy prednisone medication buy prednisone 40mg pill deltasone 5mg canada
ventolin 4mg pills buy ventolin inhalator generic albuterol price
buy azithromycin 250mg for sale brand azithromycin 250mg zithromax 500mg cheap
gabapentin 600mg drug order generic neurontin 100mg order gabapentin 100mg without prescription
generic furosemide lasix 100mg generic lasix buy online
buy monodox online cheap order doxycycline 200mg generic order vibra-tabs for sale
order vardenafil 20mg generic vardenafil over the counter order vardenafil 20mg pill
lyrica 75mg ca buy pregabalin pill order pregabalin 150mg for sale
buy aristocort without prescription triamcinolone ca order aristocort 10mg pills
buy desloratadine 5mg pills clarinex for sale order clarinex pills
order generic claritin claritin price claritin 10mg tablet
buy chloroquine 250mg buy cheap generic chloroquine aralen brand
priligy 60mg without prescription order dapoxetine 30mg generic buy cytotec pills
order xenical pill generic xenical 120mg diltiazem 180mg oral
cost acyclovir buy allopurinol 100mg for sale allopurinol price
rosuvastatin 20mg ca rosuvastatin 10mg pill buy zetia paypal
oral motilium 10mg motilium 10mg pills buy sumycin 500mg pills
buy generic flexeril for sale order baclofen 25mg online where to buy ozobax without a prescription
toradol us where to buy gloperba without a prescription colchicine brand
buying a research paper cheap dissertation help assignment website
cheap methotrexate 10mg methotrexate where to buy warfarin online order
buy generic reglan for sale buy generic reglan 10mg cozaar pill
nexium 20mg for sale order topiramate 100mg pills topiramate 100mg brand
buy generic imitrex over the counter purchase levaquin cost levofloxacin
buy zocor 10mg sale buy zocor 10mg oral valacyclovir 1000mg
buy dutasteride generic buy zantac 300mg sale ranitidine usa
how to get finasteride without a prescription diflucan 200mg drug oral forcan
cheap cipro – buy augmentin 1000mg pills amoxiclav online buy
order ciplox – ciplox 500 mg for sale erythromycin 250mg drug
order metronidazole 400mg pills – buy cleocin generic zithromax tablet
ivermectina online – aczone cost buy sumycin pill
buy valacyclovir for sale – nemasole buy online zovirax 400mg drug
buy furosemide without prescription diuretic – purchase capoten order capoten 25 mg sale
glycomet where to buy – sulfamethoxazole brand lincocin ca
order generic retrovir 300 mg – buy allopurinol generic buy allopurinol paypal
buy clozaril pills for sale – order clozapine online buy pepcid 40mg generic
seroquel 50mg canada – order bupron SR generic buy eskalith generic
clomipramine 25mg pill – buy cheap generic imipramine doxepin 75mg cheap
hydroxyzine canada – buy escitalopram 10mg pill endep us
where to buy clavulanate without a prescription – ampicillin ca brand ciprofloxacin 500mg
order generic amoxil – order cefadroxil 500mg generic cheap ciprofloxacin 1000mg
cleocin buy online – purchase chloramphenicol pills cheap chloramphenicol pills
ivermectin 12mg online – eryc pills order cefaclor 500mg sale
purchase albuterol generic – generic promethazine 25mg buy theophylline 400 mg for sale
methylprednisolone generic name – medrol over the counter astelin 10ml without prescription
order desloratadine 5mg generic – buy desloratadine 5mg for sale albuterol uk
buy glucophage 500mg online cheap – buy sitagliptin pills buy precose 25mg generic
cheap micronase – actos 30mg cheap where can i buy dapagliflozin
buy generic repaglinide – buy empagliflozin sale order empagliflozin 10mg sale
buy semaglutide 14 mg online cheap – glucovance usa order desmopressin online
lamisil 250mg uk – purchase fluconazole generic griseofulvin usa
buy nizoral 200mg pill – purchase itraconazole generic buy cheap generic itraconazole
order famciclovir 500mg online – order zovirax 400mg sale valcivir 500mg brand
buy lanoxin 250 mg – order furosemide 100mg pills purchase lasix pill