Well I bet people won't like what this post has to say, especially since it's Friday...
Yes, I know the media likes to hype up the preferred drug of choice for the masses -- and I know people like how it makes them feel -- but most everyone deep down knows there's a problem with alcohol with respect to our health, despite the alleged benefits it can provide here or there. One of the biggest health detriments that alcohol brings is that of a shrinking brain. Alcohol not only affects cognitive mental skills when consumed, but has a lasting effect on our psychological health in the long term.
We think moderate or light drinking can potentially provide us with more benefits, or at least additional benefits to being intoxicated that will outweigh the physical and psychological cost of alcohol consumption. A recent study goes beyond the heavy drinking relation to poor brain health, and looks at the effects of moderate drinking to clear up some of the inconsistent claims we hear about.
The study sought to answer: Does moderate alcohol consumption have a beneficial, harmful or no association with the human brain structure and functionality?
The data came from the Whitehall II study which involved 550 men and women in a 30 year study, from 1985-2015. In 1985 their average age was 43 and none were alcoholics. Throughout that period brain function tests were given and and MRI was done at the end.
The results after 30 years of drinking was that those who drank 30 units per week had the highest risk of hippocampal atrophy compared to abstainers. This atrophy does brain damage to areas that affect spatial navigation and memory. Obviously those who drink more have greater risk, but even a more moderate 14-21 units per week gave a 3x higher risk for the atrophy. And those at a light 1-7 units a week are still associated with increased risk of oropharnygeal, oesophageal, and breast cancer.
White matter integrity was negatively affected in higher consumption, which is important for efficient cognitive functioning. Language fluency (generating words with the same first letter) also declines faster, but word recall and semantic fluency (generating the same categorical type of words) are not.
These results aren't confirmed, as this data was from an observational study. There can be other factors that led to the increase in risk of atrophy. But previously studies on long term alcohol consumption strengthen the probability that this is more accurate than not.
Killian Welch, consultant neuropsychiatrist at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, says "we all use rationalisations to justify persistence with behaviours not in our long term interest. With publication of this paper, justification of 'moderate' drinking on the grounds of brain health becomes a little harder."
The study closes with a summary of what this study adds to the understanding of alcohol onthe brain:
- Compared with abstinence, moderate alcohol intake is associated with increased risk of adverse brain outcomes and steeper cognitive decline in lexical fluency
- The hippocampus is particularly vulnerable, which has not been previously linked negatively with moderate alcohol use
- No protective effect was found for small amounts of alcohol over abstinence, and previous reports claiming a protective effect of light drinking might have been subject to confounding by associations between increased alcohol and higher social class or IQ
Blood alcohol levels vary in many countries, and some don't even allow any percentage of your blood to have alcohol in it if you are behind the wheel of a vehicle. We know alcohol isn't that good for us at all, but we drink it because it makes us "feel-good". The short-term pleasure we get from it outweighs the negative long-term consequences. My dad died at 51, an alcoholic with cancer that affected his liver, colon, intestines and eventually took over and killed him.
Beware of the pleasure-trap that deceives us into thinking things are "good" for us when they are not. We often need to ask ourselves questions, like "do I just want to focus on the present 'now' and drink up, or think about my future health?" I'm not a fan of alcohol even without the health issues. The brain is the most important and evolutionarily advanced aspect of our body. It's a gift in many ways. We need to keep it in good shape :)
References:
- Even moderate drinking linked to a decline in brain health, finds study
- Topiwala Anya, Allan Charlotte L, Valkanova Vyara, Zsoldos Enikő, Filippini Nicola, Sexton Claire et al. Moderate alcohol consumption as risk factor for adverse brain outcomes and cognitive decline: longitudinal cohort study BMJ 2017;357:j2353
Scientific studies show when you precede an article with the phrase "scientific studies show"_______.
People believe you.
This is not entirely surprising to me. Just as I have observed people who drink and then quit seem to have a different look and persona to them.
As was stated further up in the comments you literally are drinking poison.
I haven't drank any alcohol in about 17 years (although I drank insane amounts before I decided to quit)
I guess the short of it is I feel maybe a bit better about totally abstaining from the dummy juice.
Good article as usual.
As I sit at my local bar drinking a fine brewed Indeed brewery beer I am trying to fully swallow your article. It seems to be that alcohol is bad for you, am I correct? I think I will need to order another and read it again! Cheers!
No alcohol is god. Drink, dance, fuck, be merry! Alcohol is perfectly safe, perfectly healthy, science is fake....
follow me
You're bang on with this article Krnel. I was a bartender for 18 years and had all the "fun" that came with the job. I moved to Vietnam 9 years ago where beer is cheaper than, or the same price as, water. It was easy to go out for dinner 5-6 nights a week and enjoy dinner with my wife and about 6-7 beers for 10$. 22 months ago I was on a train from Hanoi back to DaNang where I was living and I listened to a podcast. It wasn't the one I had thought that I downloaded, instead it was a brain doctor who is mapping brain activity differently as you suggested. I haven't had a drink since listening to that podcast. Scared dry, I suppose you could say. Here is the link for anyone who is interested in looking at this idea more. It is tough when this is promoted by society and is the socially exceptable drub of choice but I have found the clear eyed view much better. Also, detoxing using juices and turmeric is a part of the cleansing process in order to reverse the decline. Thanks for the great article. I've followed you and look forward to more. P5KYD9Mv4AUoesrnzyzHXxkzWA39FcduUYmW99pzhmdPZ3XeVXyP
What we don't know can hurt us hehe. Knowledge is power, you experienced that firsthand. It's a great feeling to we woken up from a false state of living, isn't it? Thanks for the feedback, and the great story about it.
It's actually good to read some studies concerning the potential adverse effects of moderate drinking. Most studies that I have read focused on increased life longevity when consuming moderate amounts of alcohol. As a result, I have always thought it to be wise to consume low amounts of alcohol during the week. It is quite informative to know that there can be potential issues with a decline in brain function even with just moderate drinking.
Yeah, it's not something the brain likes hehe. Thanks for the feedback.
Thanks so much for writing this insightful article. It's always great to read new research that helps to make decisions about our health. I would like to see some further studies on this before drawing a complete conclusion. I suspect though I might have to make a choice between the increased longevity from moderate drinking versus decreases in brain function the next time I have a glass of red wine. :)
Hehe, yup, choices in life. Thanks for the feedback.
Great article. Good to see more science on the subject. I know from my own experience that watching people get drunk is like watching people experience pain in slow motion.
I've seen what drinking can do to people and how it can make people irrational. I've known a few irrational alcoholics, too. Fortunately, I don't have to live with them.
Hehe, indeed. I can relate. Thanks for the feedback.
Hi @krnel. I just came across your account as I was randomly wandering through posts. I'm glad to see that research is still being done into the effects of alcohol. I think by now most people know it's harmful to drink too much but I also think that most people think it's ok to drink "moderately". I would further guess that most people who describe themselves as 'moderate' drinkers are probably actually at the higher end of that scale! Thanks I enjoyed reading this. Upvoted, resteemed and followed! 😊
Good to see you liked it on a random perusal hehe. Yeah people probably have their own standards of measure for what "moderate" is hehe. Thanks for the feedback and support!
alcohol is poison, tasty poison that makes you feel good depending on how much you drink, but still poison
the more you drink the more brain cells you kill...which could be a good thing
(can't find the Cheers clip)
LOL. I like to call it "devil's juice" :P Brings out the bad in lots of people.
I love this. I know science isn't everything, but when it's done right it's beautiful :p Hard numbers that tell it like it is. Can't deny this. And yes it's hard to hear, especially on a Fridaynight, but hearing the truth isn't always easy. You can't just deny the consequences because you like the way alcohol makes you feel. It's bad for you. Period. If you think that's worth it, great. Free country, have another one. Cheers :)
Thanks for the feedback. I'm not a fan, there might be some things it helps with, but the thing it doesn't help with (brain) overrides the other benefits in my view.
Couldn't agree more :P
Oh, and upvoted and resteemed ;) thanks for sharing. You have an extra follower from now on :)
i stopped drinking years ago when i had a kid and couldn't justify the expense. Red wine has some health benefits but the effects on the brain are indisputable. I have always wondered why so many medications contain alcohol and they haven't found a healthier substitute.
One more reason why I should not drink alcohol, I have an uncle who died because of the alcohol, and the other almost died, when he took the x-ray the doctor said that his brain had diminished in size.
I am taking this personally!
image credits
I agree with your post. Every crime in my town caused by drunker @krnel
Alcohol is still such a big part of daily life tho , a little sip every now and then is inevitable (celebrations, holidays, important dinner).
Probably alcoholism is one if the worst addiction to beat, followed by food and hard drugs; I mean it's really hard to be rational when everybody around you is drinking.
Anyway good articak!
Indeed, if you want to. Thanks for the feedback.
drinking makes you dumb, just look at a drunk person!
even worse if it makes you dumb forever!
Hahaha not all that drink is dumb bsides most people drink to ease of the day's stress 😀😀😀😀
very nice
I like being 'dumb' at times
^ same ^
then maybe you already are :P
*at times- were the key words
odd how I've been reading that moderate alcohol consumption was healthy.
Kinda wonder who to believe.
oh wait.
I know
The FDA's food pyramid.
that's the ticket
trust the government.
That my friends is why you drop acid instead of drinking! < 3
LOL! Well I think drinking a glass each day is better than taking acid each day heh.
You'd be surprised! Technically a glass of alcohol each day would be more harmful than taking LSD each day because by day 3 the LSD would have no effect on you due to tolerance to psychedelics growing extremely rapidly.
The metabolites for LSD are not harmful in the slightest where as the metabolites of alcohol are actually toxic.
But to each their own! Although a glass each day seems far more sustainable than tripping face every day I'll give you that.
LMAO. I laughed good. So it would have a conscious effect, but what about long term ingestion of those extra compounds into the brain? Those are harmless you say?
Why? I have no reason to lie to you. LSD is not physically harmful in the slightest period.
Alcohol kills 1 person worldwide every 9 seconds.
LSD doesn't kill people.
There would be no psychological effects after a few days due to receptor downregulation, thus meaning you're tolerant to the drug.
Unless you took a dose orders of magnitude bigger than your current one, you would be completly sober.
For example, chemists, like Nicholas Sand, who made LSD would absorb massive amounts of it through their skin. More than enough to make many people trip sack.
And look at them now, the man is in a documentary for making Orange Sunshine, he was perfectly healthy untill he died earlier this year :(
I meant it as a good laugh, not that I was laughing at you. I know there is a tolerance. Just the high is a bit crazier, but not deadly in the higher doses like alcohol is.
Ahh I misinterpreted sorry, maybe shoulda laid off that bedtime acid tab haha. You're absolutely right and thank God there's a tolerance. I couldn't dream of tripping everyday.
Great article.alcohol also causes liver cirrhosis in which the liver cells are damaged and are replaced by fibrous tissue which leads to liver failiure.
Indeed, that does happen, my dad had that too at the same time. Thanks for the feedback.
Glad to read this. Happy to see others bring awareness about alcohol consumption. Very dangerous for health!
Yeah it's not optimal as I see it. Thanks for the feedback.
This post is really enlightening am sure those who drink wuld cut down on their percentage intake
Maybe, hehe. Thanks for the feedback.
Some times it is good to avoid stress damage to your mind !
But if you drink every day, even a little, you are alcoholic !
Is it just any amount each day, or does it work by how much you drink?
If you can not pass couple of days without alcohol, you can consider yourself as an alcoholic !
If you drink a little it is alcoholism in light version =]
But usualy it is growing with time !
So it is better to get drunk sometimes (once in 1-2 month) then drink a little each day !
=]
Haha, nice explanation!
Also had fun talking with you =]
Hope will be more discussions with you in near future...
Good Luck !
=]
Alcohol has its side effects, and nothing good, not consumption, unfortunately my uncle died because of alcohol. I'll be following you @krnel
Thanks for the feedback and follow ;)
Really interesting post, I hope this catches the eyes of many
Thanks.
Its good study and good news....
Very informative post. Makes total sense
Thanks.
Your so welcome
thank you for good posting
You're welcome.
A very interesting read :D thank for sharing the post. :D
Okay this is all very confusing can we get this converted to gallons? Asking for a friend
great work
Upvoted :) follow for follow? Health, fitness, workouts, diet!