OT: Study links light drinking, brain shrinking (CNN)

[SteveK]

[quote="spittin_in_the_wind"
I saw that quote too! How could they tell if it shrank if they only did one MRI???? I mean, doesn't one have to have something to compare that MRI to?

Robin[/quote]

The sentence "The findings showed that both voids grew larger the more people drank" gives the impression, by it's wording, that they did find a cause and effect relationship-which they turn around and deny. If they had said that "the size of the voids was larger in those people who drank more" or something of that sort it would have been more accurate assuming that the effect was statistically reliable. Presumably what they did was to do a correlation between the alcohol intake and void size. The comparison was betwen different people who drank different amounts. Thier last sentence to the effect that the differences were small makes me wonder about the statistical reliability of their correlation. It would also be interesting to know that reductions of the size they found were actually due to atrophy and, if so, do reductions of this size relate to brain function. It might be interesting to get hold of a copy of Stroke and have a look.

Steve

[SteveK]

I looked up Stroke online. The issue with the article won't be available till the 7th. Here's a somewhat better online report.

http://www.diabetes-and-diet.com/html/l ... m=diabetes

Steve

[JohnPalmer]

Just counter booze's effect of a shrinking brain by playing well in front of an appreciative crowd. That'll make your whole head swell. Of course, playing badly will make your whole body get smaller.

JP

[mcfeeley]

[quote="spittin_in_the_windI saw that quote too! How could they tell if it shrank if they only did one MRI???? I mean, doesn't one have to have something to compare that MRI to?

I agree, the media really goes for the shock value of any story, however baseless it might be. Just use common sense and enjoy your life for crying out loud!

Robin[/quote]


I'll drink to that!

I think what happened with the single MRI check is that it showed a division into two groups -- the drinkers had a statistically significant difference in brain shrinkage rate (a normal part of the aging process) as compared to nondrinkers.

Something important to keep in mind is that there isn't a direct one to one relationship between ability to function and quantitative loss of tissue.

-- Dan M.

[mcfeeley]

Oh yeah, there was a study in the Lancet a couple of years ago, showing a correlation between alcohol consumption and lesser rates of dementia (i.e., alzheimers and similar conditions). It didn't seem to matter whether it was beer, wine, or vodka -- it was the alcohol that was correlated.

Sorry, my copy of the report is buried in a file folder somewhere so I can't give the citation.

-- Dan M.

[Nanohedron]

I notice when I wag my head, something inside
it sounds like castenets. Must be my
brain. Cool!

You, too, Jim? I thought I was alone....

[SteveK]

you can read an abstract of the study here:
http://stroke.ahajournals.org/cgi/conte ... 88691.8Ev1

You have to pay 15 bucks to read the whole report. Either that or subscribe to Stroke.

Steve

[riasgt]

What is everyone so concerned with? Light Drinking causes brain shrinkage?

For Goodness sake people, DON'T DRINK LIGHT BEER!!!!!!!!

Humans don't utilize 100% of there brain cells, so we all have a few to play with anyway. Personally it's my feeling that if you use as little of your brain as possible, you will have more of it when your older. Look at all the people who have been very smart during their youth, and in old age become senile.

Personally, having children I think is the worse thing you can do to your brain. I used to be able to think clearly and have smart thoughts before I had kids, and now I tend to sit in the corner babbling and drooling.

I agree about the absurdity of Pop Science. It think it's called Pop Science because once a theory is proposed, 'POP' it's refuted and it disappears.