I. Research: Effects of Alcohol on Risk of Strokes and Heart Attacks. Researchers examined the effects of alcohol on risk of strokes and heart attacks. To do so they studied data from 204,557 participants in the NHIS-National Sample Cohort. That’s a sample representative of the South Korean population. The investigators looked at biennial health exam findings …
Category: Brain
Alcohol and Memory vs Water and Memory: You Might be Surprised
Can simply the belief that you have consumed alcohol affect your memory of an event? We know that alcohol and memory are connected. But so are water and memory. People who think they are drinking alcohol don’t perform as well as others on memory tests. Even when they’re only drinking tonic water with absolutely no …
Intoxication and Memory: Are Intoxicated People More Accurate Witnesses?
Drink to Remember? Some people drink to forget. But it might be smarter sometimes to drink to remember. Researchers have long studied intoxication and memory. But the findings can conflict with “common sense.” A British study of witnesses illustrates this. It shows that witnesses to a crime who drink afterward remembered details better than sober …
Legal Drinking Age: Science vs. Ideology Battle Continues
Some Assumptions Debate over the legal drinking age continues. It’s largely between scientific findings and ideological beliefs. Underlying current minimum age laws are the assumptions of American prohibitionism. Drinking alcohol is dangerous and undesirable. Consuming any amount of alcohol is equally undesirable. Moderate social drinking is the forerunner of chronic inebriation. Drinking typically results in problem …
Alcohol Harms Teen Brains: Effects of Drinking
We often hear that alcohol harms teen brains. Does drinking in adolescence harm brain growth? Will having alcohol before age 21 cause brain damage? Does underage drinking retard mental development? Government agencies, activist groups, and news reports warn us that drinking alcohol harms teen brains. The Evidence that Alcohol Harms Teen Brains The evidence comes …
Risk of Brain Atrophy Reduced by Drinking Alcohol
The risk of brain atrophy is reduced by drinking in moderation. The alcohol can be in the form of wine, beer, or spirits. Brain Atrophy Brain diseases commonly cause brain or cerebral shrinkage or atrophy. That is, a loss of cells. In brain atrophy there is a loss of neurons and the connections between them. …
Does Alcohol Reduce Death from Traumatic Brain Injury?
Does alcohol reduce death from traumatic brain injury? It has long appeared that having alcohol can reduce death from traumatic brain injury if it is in the bloodstream at the time of injury. Researchers decided to review the existing medical evidence. Review They searched eight major databases covering a 13 year period. They looked for …
Drinking and Dementia, Alzheimer’s, & Memory Loss
The relationship between drinking and dementia, as well as Alzheimer’s, is an important matter. It effects millions of people, their loved ones, and governments. Medical research has shown that moderate drinking reduces the risk of dementia. This includes Alzheimer’s disease. The alcohol can be beer, wine or spirits. However, abstaining from alcohol increases the risk of …
Traumatic Brain Injury Recovery: Drinking Alcohol Helps
Traumatic brain injury recovery is improved if patients have been drinking when injured. The prognosis is better when there is alcohol in the blood. Alcohol reduces dangerous brain swelling. This was seen at a medical center. Some patients had been drinking alcohol in moderation before having a traumatic brain injury. They were 24% less likely …
Risk of Stroke Reduced: Drinking Alcohol (Beer, Wine or Spirits) is Protective Against Stroke
Risk of stroke is reduced by drinking alcoholic beverages in moderation. They can be wine, spirits or beer. This is the finding of a systematic review of 26 studies. They were both cohort and case-control investigations. I. Stroke Ischemic stroke results from an obstruction within a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain. Fatty deposits …