The Claim: Alcohol Kills Brain Cells

NY Times ^ | November 23, 2004 | ANAHAD O'CONNOR

[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

[Paperdoll]

All things in moderation.

Excess use in alcohol may not KILL brain cells, but it certainly maims them severly. Just talk to someone who has lived with an alcoholic. Doesn't sound like much fun to me.

[AirForceMom]

I almost spit my coffee/brandy all over the computer.

[South40]

Ever had a Warm Creamy Bush?

1 oz Old Bush Mills Irish Wiskey
1 oz Bailey's Irish Cream
2 oz hot coffee

[Proud Conservative2]

I have to send this to my daughter. When she was quite young she pointed out to her very intelligent, alcohol impaired grandfather that he was killing his brain cells. He looked her in the eyes, started laughing and said "Well then, I must have been a genius when I was young". We all had a good laugh and she was at a loss for words.

[Pointblank]

"Beer has knighted me the world's greatest lover"
Science Mystery Theater 2000

[Paperdoll]

All sheriousness ashide -- LOL!

[AirForceMom]

Hitting the liquor store on monday, this sounds even better than what I'm drinking. I love Baileys. THANK YOU!

[Squantos]

Wow ....I was worried !

[LibertyRocks]

I'll try to find an actual article on this but...

My father-in-law has been drinking beer since he was a teenage farmer driving the tractor to the bar at the end of the field in Wisconsin.

Both mother and father-in-law went to the doctor recently. Mom had high cholesterol and Dad's was absolutely fine!

While shopping at the grocery store one day a nurse remarked on the amount of high cholesterol products my father-in-law was buying and asked him how his count was. He replied, great, why? She then asked if he drank beer - his reply was yes... She then said, Ahh... that's why your cholesterol is so low.

BTW - father-in-law loves buttermilk, fatty meat, and puts like 2 tbs. of butter on everything!

[Jackknife]

"To alcohol .... The cause of, and solution to, ALL of life's problems."

[weenie]

To quote John Kerry in the only honest statement he has ever made...

"My IQ would have been higher but I was drinking..."

...and speaking for those Irish (who later discovered they were Jewish) among us..."if you had said that earlier, I mighta voted for ya."

"By the way, Laddy, what is it you were runnin' for?"

[AirForceMom]

Not nice!!! LOL. That made my eyes water.

[LibertyRocks]

Here is an actual article about the subject... Should've looked before posting.

Beer May Be Good for Cholesterol Levels (dateline December 8, 2002)

The belief that a glass of red wine a day protects the heart may also extend to a can of beer, according to the results of a newly published study. The small study found that moderate beer consumption increases levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease. This study’s positive results were far better than previous research which showed only a modest benefit to beer consumption. Before rushing out for beer though, researchers caution people to understand that the size of the current study is small and needs further confirmation.

High blood cholesterol can increase the chances for heart disease. While a total cholesterol level of over 240 mg/dL is considered high risk, higher levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol can actually protect the heart. HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, carries cholesterol away from the heart back to the liver where it is eventually removed from the body. High HDL cholesterol removes excess LDL ("bad") cholesterol from artery walls, reducing atherosclerosis (a narrowing of the arteries).

To investigate the effect of beer consumption on cholesterol, researchers analyzed the blood of nine women between the ages of 49 to 62 and 10 men between the ages 45 to 64 during a three-week period. Specifically, the researchers measured the amounts of HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-1, a protein component of HDL that carries cholesterol in the blood, during drinking and non-drinking phases of the study.

The result: HDL cholesterol levels rose by nearly 9% at the end of the drinking phase of the study, due to beer consumption. The researchers say this study may illustrate why men and post-menopausal women who consume moderate amounts of alcohol have a reduced risk of coronary artery disease, compared to non-drinkers. During the three-week study period, men consumed an average of four glasses of beer while the women consumed an average of three glasses.

Beer alone cannot solve the problem of high cholesterol in the United States, though. In 2001, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommended that 36 million Americans be put on cholesterol-lowering drugs to help reduce the risk of heart disease (an estimated 13 million were currently taking them). According to NHBLI Director Dr. Claude Lenfant, studies show that lowering the level LDL ("bad" cholesterol) can reduce the short-term risk for heart disease by as much as 40%.

[Squantos]

LOL......Sorry I don't know what yer talking about.........:o)

Stay safe !

[Happygal]

*cough*

Trust an O'Connor to be wondering about brain power and alcohol! *LOL*

[Pointblank]

If she is single...

[kstewskis]

THAT sounds good, I ran out of wine, so I'm onto coffee and brandy.

Mmmmmmm.....perfect cold weather beverage.

The temp's haven't dropped into our "winter" levels yet here in the desert southwest, so I'm still on "coconut rum (from Cayman) and diet coke" mode, lol.

[ProudVet77]

I'm down to two, a fact I can live with. The problem is, they hate each other.

Are their names Bill and Hill?

[BulletBobCo]

If I close one eye it clears up.

[toomanygrasshoppers]

If you like Bailey's, then try this:

In a short glass, pour 1 shot of Chambord and 1 shot of Bailey's. DO NOT STIR. Add a few fresh raspberries if you have them. Fill with ice. Drink with a small straw. Yummy.