IT News & Technology update

The effects of ethanol (an alcohol) on the human body

Written by IT News on 4:09 AM

In an attempt to exactly how fast the alcohol on the human brain, researchers at the University Hospital Heidelberg, led by researcher Armin Biller in eight men and seven women in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, and gave them alcohol. The participants drank from straws three beers, which have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05 to 0.06 percent, to do the driving. The researchers noted that changes were seen in the brain is less than six minutes after the alcohol has been ingested.

The change was most evident in the brain cells, which almost immediately began to run on alcohol produced from sugar, instead of its normal fuel, glucose. "Our study provides evidence for the use of alternative energy alcohol intake. Brain uses a breakdown product of alcohol instead of glucose for energy needs" Bill explained, quoted by Live Science. The researchers were surprised by the speed with which the drink began to affect brain cells, and said that the outcome was unexpected.

In addition, there is a reduction of creatine, a substance that plays an important role in protecting nerve cells outside interference. With a lower concentration of the stuff, brain cells are exposed to danger, the study concluded. The researchers also noted a significant reduction of the levels of substance choline, which is an important factor that makes cell brains. "It may suggest that alcohol leads to changes in the composition of the cell membrane," Bill explained.

"Our follow-up the next day showed that the changes in brain metabolites after excessive consumption of alcohol of healthy individuals are completely reversible. But we assume that the brain able to recover from the effects of alcohol reduce or stop the consumption of alcohol increases. The acute effects are demonstrated in our study may provide a basis for the permanent brain damage, it is known that alcoholics. This should be clarified in future studies, "wrote the expert in the latest issue of the Official Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism.

Previous studies have shown that the damage in the brain of alcohol is completely reversible, but that the brain's ability to heal may be hindered by smoking or drinking continuously. More long-term studies are needed to verify the effects of alcohol on human brains.

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| Posted in » alcohol, human brain, MRI, neurons, scientific study

Half a glass of wine per day may prolong your life by about five years

Written by IT News on 3:58 AM

It is well known that drinking wine can benefit your health, but his long-term effects on the human body have never been analyzed in such a large scale. In a study of 40 years, between 1960 and 2000, Dutch researchers monitored the life and drinking habits of more than 1373 randomly selected men, with regular check-ups once or more per year. The long-term study was to determine the exact relationship between cardiovascular health and people in the overall risk of dying of conditions.

In a scientific study published ahead of print in the latest issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, the authors say that the analysis of results showed that drinking just half a glass of wine per day can be very beneficial for women as they could live on average five years longer than those who do not drink wine per day. But they warn, the effect does not stack up, which means that if you drink one or two glasses a day, they will not live ten to 20 years. In fact, it is very likely that they will die sooner, because of alcohol-related conditions.

During 40 years of monitoring, researchers looked at how much alcohol the men drank, the type of beverage, but also how often they did. Their main aim was to determine the drinking habit was worse, and it left the smallest "footprint" on the body. The study also aims to determine which type of alcohol led to the development of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease, and if this can be prevented, PhysOrg reports.

More than 600 deceased men to cardiovascular disease in 40 years, about half of the total number of 1130 deaths. From 1960 to 2000, the proportion of men who drank alcohol almost doubled, from 45 to 86, a phenomenon that is immediately associated with an increase in the number of deaths in drink-related diseases. Although only two percent of participants drank wine at the beginning of the study, more than 44 percent did so in 2000. The conclusion of the study was that moderate alcohol consumption of up to 20 grams per day can increase life expectancy by at least two years.

Those who do not drink at all had a lower life expectancy than moderate drinkers, or on leave, while those who consumed more than 20 grams of alcohol per day had a life, it was a little lower than in moderate drinkers. In addition, they are only in small quantities of wine, not beer or spirits, lived on average five years longer than those who drank nothing. They lived 2.5 years longer than those who consumed beer and spirits.