by editor-oa | Jul 15, 2022 | Frontpage News
According to recent research, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, drinking at least seven units of alcohol per week is associated with increased iron levels in the brain, which, in its turn, may lead to cognitive decline, namely Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
For the study, the research team analyzed data of 20,965 participants from the UK Biobank who reported their alcohol consumption. The participants’ mean age was 55 years old and 48.6% were female. Also, the brains of these participants were scanned with the help of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology.
The researchers discovered that alcohol consumption above seven units (or about 3 cans of beer) per week was associated with markers of higher iron in the basal ganglia, a group of brain regions associated with control of motor movements, procedural learning, eye movement, cognition, emotion, and more.
by editor-oa | Feb 4, 2022 | Frontpage News
A new large-scale study, conducted by a team of researchers from the United Kingdom, suggests that having less than the currently recommended number of drinks per week in the UK is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular issues. The researchers believe that the J-shaped curve of the cardiovascular disease-alcohol consumption relationship suggesting health benefits from low-to-moderate alcohol consumption is based on bad science.
For their study, the scientists used data from the UK Biobank of 333,259 alcohol consumers and 21,710 people who had never drunk alcohol. They analyzed almost seven years of data, noting whenever a participant had a cardiovascular event, heart disease, or cerebrovascular disease.
Having adjusted all cardiovascular risk factors, the team found that wine was minimally protective from ischemic heart disease, but was not associated with other cardiovascular issues. At the same time, drinkers of beer, cider, and spirits, in particular, had an increased risk of being admitted to the hospital through a cardiovascular event involving the heart or the blood vessels.
by editor-oa | Dec 27, 2019 | Frontpage News
A New Year’s party is coming closer and this means that many people will bring in the new year with various alcohol-containing beverages and some of them will pay the price the next day with a hangover.
A hangover is a condition that includes many symptoms such as fatigue, muscle aches, anxiety, headache, irritability, blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain.
It can last up to 72 hours and its duration depends on several factors such as the amount of alcohol, the drinker’s age, gender, nutrition etc. When alcohol gets metabolized in the liver, we get the symptoms described above and here’s how to cope with them:
- Flush the metabolites out of the body via urinating, sweating, and vomiting.
- Boost the fluid intake by drinking plenty of water and other rehydrating fluids.
- Eat bland foods such as bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast as they’re easy for the body to digest.
- Choose foods high in vitamins B6 and B12, such as tuna, trout, chicken breast, eggs.
- Eat such fruits as apples, bananas, kiwis to replenish vitamins and minerals.
- Add healthy oils such as avocados, coconut oil, olive oil, nuts, and whole milk yogurt, as they stimulate the production of bile in the liver and have a binding effect.
- Eat (or drink) ginger — it reduces nausea.
by editor-oa | Feb 1, 2019 | Frontpage News
A new study, conducted by researchers from Rutgers University, finds chemical changes in two significant genes with heavy and binge drinking adults.
For the
study, two genes, hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and Per2, were
analyzed in blood samples taken from 47 volunteers who participated in larger
experiment on drinking behaviors. The group of volunteers included non-smoking
moderate consumers, alcohol bingers, or heavy drinkers.
The
analysis showed that there is a tendency for Per2 and POMC genes among binge-
and heavy drinkers to be methylated. This process of gumming up a gene with a
molecule is described as an epigenetic change. The gene’s code remains the
same, but its expression is altered. In this case, the methylation forced the
genes to decrease their expression.
by doctor-c | Sep 9, 2016 | Frontpage News
Meeting the recommended amount of physical activity may offset some of the cancer and all-cause mortality risk connected to alcohol consumption, a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests.
In their survey, the team of researchers included data from the responses to nationally representative health surveys in England and Scotland, where each was linked to cause-specific mortality, for the years 1994, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, and 2006.
Having analyzed the given data, scientists concluded that the risk of death had increased or decreased depending on the level of physical activity.
People were more likely to die from cancer and alcohol intake rose from within the recommended limits up to harmful levels and they didn’t meet the minimum recommended levels of 7.5 MET/hour (Metabolic Equivalent of Task).
More details here.
