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News & Features
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
The News Argiis Page 7
University study says alcohol
could reduce brain size
UWIRE- Alcohol consump
tion, even in small amounts,
might shrink brain size in the
long run, according to a recent
study.
The study, conducted at
Boston University, tested 1,839
people age 33-88.
It shows that there is about a
1.5 percent difference between
the total brain volume of heavy
alcohol drinkers and abstain
ers.
What it does not address,
however, is the effect this
shrinkage actually has on brain
function.
Experts at the University of
South Florida said the reported
difference in size is not very
significant and stressed that
function is not always corre
lated with brain size.
"The amount of shrinkage
reported is equal to less than a
year of life," said James
Mortimer, Ph.D., a professor
and researcher in the College of
Public Health.
"It is not clear whether or not
people were worse off cogni
tively."
The study is still an impor
tant find, however, because it
sheds new light on the effects
of drinking alcohol in small
amounts.
"This is the first time that
anyone really demonstrated
that so-called casual drinking
has an effect on brain size,"
Mortimer said.
Research shows that the
brain shrinks with age—slowly
at first, but more rapidly at
older ages.
When the brain shrinks in
certain areas, it can cause dis
eases that impair brain func
tion.
"Alzheimer's disease is the
major cause of brain atrophy in
old age," Mortimer said.
Dementia, caused by a rapid
loss of brain cells, starts in the
hippocampus region of the
brain, said Ross Andel, a pro
fessor in the School of Aging
Studies.
From there, he said, it
spreads to other parts of the
brain and affects memory and
other brain functions.
Alcohol can have positive
and negative effects on brain
function.
Both Mortimer and Andel
said it depends on how much a
person drinks.
College students who binge
drink take the least healthy
track by drinking large quanti
ties of alcohol in a small
amount of time.
"Alcohol carries a toxin that
makes brain cells more vulner
able," Andel said.
Brain cells must strengthen
themselves to fight against
alcohol in small amounts,
Andel said.
With large doses of alcohol,
however, the cells become too
vulnerable and die easily.
Alcohol also dehydrates the
brain and body.
"People who are alcoholics
have a considerable amount of
brain shrinkage," Mortimer
said.
Though the study shows that
people with histories of light or
moderate drinking from one to
two drinks per day have
smaller brains, many other
studies show that they are
actually more healthy than
those who abstain or drink
heavily, Andel said.
"(Moderate drinking) may
shrink the brain, but it makes it
work well," he said.
Alcohol, in small amounts, is
known to prevent Alzheimer's
disease and dementia,
Mortimer said.
It also helps prevent heart
disease, Andel said, and
increases good cholesterol lev
els while breaking down bad
cholesterol.
College students may be
worse off if they start drinking
large amounts of alcohol at a
young age, Mortimer said,
because they can develop
habits that could last their
whole lives.
"Those that drink in a high-
risk manner pose a risk to
themselves and others," said
Assistant Director of Health
Promotion Holly Rayko
Murphy.
Students say the new evi
dence about alcohol might not
affect society much.
Students believe the study
probably wouldn't change the
way people drink and people
would do it anyway.
By Hannah Felg
The Oracle, U. South Florida
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■ - ■ • **1 . I
Photo by Grant Fulton
Congratulations
Dr. Elva Jones, Chair of the Computer Science
Department. Jones will be honored at the
Information Technology Senior Management
Forum. The \JSUF recognizes African Americans
from leading organizations for their extraordinary
contributions to the advancement of information
technology while continuously demonstrating
proactive leadership in advancing diversity. The
awards gala will be Feb. 19 in Dallas.
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