SoylentNews

Even Moderate Drinking Linked to a Decline in Brain Health

posted by on Saturday June 10 2017, @04:39AM   
from the sorry-ethanol-fueled dept.

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Alcohol consumption, even at moderate levels, is associated with increased risk of adverse brain outcomes and steeper decline in cognitive (mental) skills, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

These results support the recent reduction in alcohol guidance in the UK and raise questions about the current limits recommended in the US, say the authors.

[...] Several factors that could have influenced the results (known as confounding) were taken into account, such as age, sex, education, social class, physical and social activity, smoking, stroke risk and medical history.

After adjusting for these confounders, the researchers found that higher alcohol consumption over the 30 year study period was associated with increased risk of hippocampal atrophy -- a form of brain damage that affects memory and spatial navigation.

-- submitted from IRC

Anya Topiwala, Charlotte L Allan, et al. Moderate alcohol consumption as risk factor for adverse brain outcomes and cognitive decline: longitudinal cohort study. BMJ, 2017; j2353 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.j2353

---

Original Submission

• Re:What units? (Score: 3, Informative) by c0lo on Saturday June 10 2017, @05:41AM

  by c0lo (156) on Saturday June 10 2017, @05:41AM (#523401) Journal

  What is a "unit" in this context?

  BMJ article [bmj.com] Introduction

  Alcohol use is widespread and increasing across the developed world. It has historically been viewed as harmless in moderation, defined variably from 9-18 units (72-144 g) a week. Recent evidence of associations with risk of cancer has prompted revision of UK government alcohol guidance, though US Federal Dietary guidelines (2015-20) allow up to 24.5 units a week for men. Even light drinking (midpoint <12.5g daily/8 units a week) has been associated with increased risk of oropharnygeal, oesophageal, and breast cancer

  Working out the division leads to 1unit=8g of alcohol.

  --
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford

  Parent

  Starting Score:	1		point
  Moderation		+1
  Informative=1, Total=1
  Extra 'Informative' Modifier		0
  Karma-Bonus Modifier		+1
  Total Score:		3