Another Enjoyable Alcohol As Health Benefit Article
From: Robert Cohen (robtcohen_at_aol.com.spam.no)
Date: 01/21/05
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Date: 21 Jan 2005 19:03:20 GMT
"be moderate in most things, " a paraphraser/semi-plagarist of socrates wisdom
i'm consuming a can of lite rot gut ole midwestern city beer every few days,
which i hereaby must add to an extensive herbs and vitamins list
copyrighted by the atlanta journal constitution 2005
and/or copyrighted by the washington post 2005
Study shows moderate drinking positive for cognitive health
By Rob Stein
The Washington Post
Published on: 01/20/05
WASHINGTON — Women who imbibe a little wine, beer or spirits every day are
less likely than teetotalers to see their memories and other thinking powers
fade as they age, according to the largest study to assess alcohol's impact on
the brain.
The study of more than 12,000 elderly women found that those who consumed light
to moderate amounts of alcohol daily had about a 20 percent lower risk of
experiencing problems with their mental abilities later in life.
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"Low levels of alcohol appear to have cognitive benefits," said Francine
Grodstein of the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, senior author on the
study, which is being published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.
"Women who consistently were drinking about one-half to one drink per day had
both less cognitive impairment as well as less decline in their cognitive
function compared to women who didn't drink at all."
While the study involved only women, the findings probably hold true for men,
although previous research indicates that men seem to benefit from drinking
slightly more — one to two drinks per day, researchers said.
The findings provide the latest evidence that indulging in alcohol, long
vilified as part of an insalubrious lifestyle, can actually help people live
longer, healthier lives. While heavy drinking clearly causes serious problems
for many people, recent research has found that drinking in moderation protects
the heart. A few small studies have similarly suggested that alcohol may help
the brain. The new study is by far the largest and most detailed to examine
that question.
"We know it is beneficial to have a drink a day for your heart. This says there
is an additional reason to follow that guideline — it can protect against
cognitive decline," said Marilyn Albert of the Johns Hopkins University School
of Medicine, speaking on behalf of the Alzheimer's Association. "So now we have
two reasons to do it."
Alcohol appears to protect the brain in the same way that it guards the heart:
by improving blood flow. It may also reduce the risk of small "silent" strokes,
which can cause subtle brain damage that erodes mental powers.
For the new study, researchers analyzed data about 12,480 women ages 70 to 81
participating in the Nurses Health Study, in which detailed information is
being gathered about thousands of nurses as they age to try to assess how
myriad lifestyle factors affect health.
Alcohol consumption data had been gathered from the women regularly beginning
when they were in their forties and fifties. The women also underwent detailed
questioning by telephone when they reached their seventies to assess their
ability to remember, reason and perform other mental functions.
Those who consumed about half a drink to one drink each day for at least four
years were about 20 percent less likely to have an impairment in their
cognitive abilities and about 15 percent less likely to experience a decline in
their thinking powers over the two years they were studied, regardless of what
type of alcohol they preferred, the researchers found. On average, women who
drank moderately tended to have the mental function of someone about a year and
a half younger than those who abstained. No benefit was seen among women who
drank more than that.
The results held true even after the researchers factored in characteristics
about the women that could have confused the findings, such as their age,
education, how many friends and family they had, how much exercise they got and
whether they had any other health problems.
While the findings are encouraging, several researchers said they were
concerned about strongly recommending that people drink more based on the
results, given the heavy toll from alcohol abuse.
"The prevention of cognitive decline in old age ... is one of the major public
health challenges of the 21st century. Few things are as valuable as the
unimpaired ability to reason," wrote Denis A. Evans of Rush University in
Chicago in an editorial accompanying the study. However, "persons seeking to
maximize cognition in old age must keep in mind ... the knowledge that alcohol
consumption can be a double-edged sword, with the dangers of over-indulgence
being all too familiar."
Elderly people are at particular risk for experiencing problems from drinking,
such as falls, which can be life-threatening for them, said Molly Wagster of
the National Institute on Aging. But Wagster added that the weight of the
evidence clearly indicates that moderate alcohol consumption cuts the risk for
dementia.
"The preponderance of the observational evidence certainly points in that
direction," Wagster said.
The findings suggest that moderate drinking should join the growing list of
steps that people can take to try to stave off mental decline, such as getting
regular physical exercise and routinely engaging in mentally stimulating
activities, Albert said.
"The basic message is there is a lot we can do to lower our risk for cognitive
decline," Albert said. "I would add having a drink a day to that."
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