Monday, October 27, 2008
Alcohol's Affect on Brain Volume
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081013171421.htm
A new study has been released showing that the more alcohol an individual drinks, the smaller his or her total brain volume. Brain volume already decreased by about 1.9% every 10 years, but the study suggests high alcohol consumption only compounds this effect. Lower brain volumes are also associated with higher risk of dementia and problems with learning and thinking. Scientists theorized that since moderate alcohol consumption has an effect on the risk of cardiovascular disease it may also effect the brain volume. The study which was conducted on 1839 adults began in 1971. Although men in the study were more likely to drink more alcohol, women had a higher association between alcohol consumption and brain volume decrease.This could be due to biological factors, including women's smaller size and greater susceptibility to alcohol's effects. "The public health effect of this study gives a clear message about the possible dangers of drinking alcohol," the authors write. The ultimate conclusion was that although moderate alchohol consumption may help the heart it has no known protective effects over the brain.
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3 comments:
James, I was very interested in your current event because the idea that drinking alcohol decreases the volume of one's brain seemed so ridiculous. Immediately stating this theory at the beginning of the article was a smart move in terms of gaining people's attention. I also enjoyed learning that women seem to be more affected then men in this situation. Finally, I liked how you were able to provide dates and numbers as a means of concrete information for your summary. However, I did not like how you didn't talk much about how the scientists tested this theory and I felt the summary was a little short. Over all I enjoyed reading your current event and consider it the most interesting one I have read so far.
I enjoyed reading this article because it reaches out past what we are studying in class, and shows an interesting point about the dangers of alchohol. The article seems to have its facts about the increased risk of the situation in women over men, especially made believable through the dates and percentages given about the study. It was interesting to learn such a fact as this, considering I didnt personally know how much of an effect alchohol can have on your brain, and not just the other parts of your body. The article was relatively short and lacking emphasis. Overall, I enjoyed reading the article, and it was a good one to choose.
This theory was never one that had crossed my mind. I had heard of moderate alcohol consumption helping the heart but it decreasing brain volume is scary stuff. I also found it interesting that it affects women more even though they consumed less alcohol. I felt that you presented your information well and did a fine job overall
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