Helping Our Bodies in the Long Run

With each passing day, humans' bodies start to show the effects of aging. Whether it be a decline in physical strength or a decrease in cognitive ability, our bodies do not function as well as they did back when they were younger. As humans start to get older, the number of neurons that fire in our brains start to decrease. Physically, our skin begins to get wrinkled and our internal organs do not work as well. As humans live life, we consume things that could either benefit or damage our bodies. For example, the heavy consumption of alcohol throughout one's life is linked to longterm brain and organ damage. However, if one were to drink a moderate amount of alcohol overtime, could it lead to a different result?

According to Moderate Ethanol Preconditioning of Rat Brain Cultures Engenders Neuroprotection Againt Dementia-Inducing Neuroinflammatory Proteins: Possible Signaling Mechanisms, moderate intake of alcohol (ethanol) can actually lead to a decrease in neuronal dysfunction in a rat. According to Dr. Michael Collins and his research team, you can precondition a rat to have neuroprotection against dementia. Preconditioning is defined as sublethal exposure to a toxic stimulus/stress that confers protection from subsequent lethal exposure. Over 4-6 days, rats were preconditioned with 20-30 mM of ethanol and it was found that it prevented neurotoxicity of HIV-1 gp120. It also inhibited neurotoxicity in the amyloid-B area. These are proteins that are linked with dementia, and the intake of ethanol protected these proteins from inflaming.

This study can relate to how there are many different types of substances that can be taken to help the human body function better. According to an article To Improve a Memory, Consider Chocolate on the New York Times, the ingestion of cocoa flavanols for three months can improve memory. It is known that eating dark chocolate has health benefits such as reducing cardiovascular disease and improving blood flow. The study was performed on people aged form 50-69, and one group drank a mixture with high amounts of flavanol and the other group had a low mixture. The article states that the group who drank the high mixture not only performed 25 percent better on a memory test, they had improved function in the dentate gyrus, which is linked with memory.

It is amazing to think that there can be health benefits for substances that we normally deem as unhealthy can actually be beneficial if taken with the correct amount. Even though it was only tested on rats, moderate intake of ethanol can protect them from neurodegenerative diseases while large amounts can be detrimental. Flavanols are found in chocolate and high intake of just the flavanol substance can lead to improved memory, but large intake of chocolate in general can lead to health problems such as diabetes and obesity.


References

https://luc.app.box.com/neuroscienceseminar/1/4816585057/39109865085/1

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/27/us/a-bite-to-remember-chocolate-is-shown-to-aid-memory.html?_r=0

http://www.shockmd.com/2008/11/05/red-wine-and-dark-chocolate-for-vascular-health/