The negative effects of alcohol abuse are of no mystery in
today’s society. Alcohol dependence can greatly increase one’s risk of contracting
a plethora of different diseases and conditions. Cirrhosis of the liver,
cardiovascular disease, cancers of the digestive system as well as other parts
of the body, brain damage, psychiatric disorders, and increased risk of stroke are
just a few of the problems that plague chronic abusers of alcohol.
However, recent studies have suggested that moderate alcohol
consumption is linked to a decrease in age-dependent cognitive decline from neurodegenerative
diseases like Alzheimer’s when compared to people who refrain from drinking
alcohol. Dr. Michael Collins, a
researcher at Loyola University Medical School believes that this striking
discovery could possibly be due to ethanol preconditioning in brain glia and
neurons. Collins and his colleagues studied rat brain cultures and observed
that moderate ethanol preconditioning of the cells prevented neurodegeneration
caused by β-Amyloid, a protein that plays a crucial role in the cognitive
decline experienced by those with Alzheimer’s disease. They also discovered
that moderate ethanol preconditioning helped to prevent neurodegeneration
caused by the neuroinflammatory proteins associated with AIDs dementia. Replication
of these results in humans can potentially transform how some neurodegenerative
diseases are treated.
Furthermore, in a recent study,researchers
from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel examined the effects of moderate alcohol use
in a group of patients with type-II diabetes. People with type-II diabetes
develop cardiovascular disease at a greater rate than those who do not suffer
from the disease and also have lower levels of HDL cholesterol, the good cholesterol
very important to our bodies. The patients were divided into three groups and
were instructed to either drink a glass of mineral water, white wine, or red
wine with their dinner every night for a period of two years. It was found that
the participants in the red wine group greatly increased their levels of HDL
cholesterol, and were the only participants to show a significant decrease in
the constituents of metabolic syndrome.
It
is truly fascinating that a substance like alcohol with such negative
connotations with regard to human health, is being studied and used in a way
that can potentially benefit those who suffer from neurodegenerative diseases and
other medical conditions. It goes to show that as scientists we should always
be questioning the limits of our knowledge and pursue high quality ignorance.
Collins,
Michael A. et al. "Moderate Ethanol Preconditioning of Rat Brain Cultures
Engenders Neuroprotection Against Dementia-Inducing Neuroinflammatory Proteins:
Possible Signaling Mechanisms." Molecular Neurobiology 41 (2010):
420-25. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.
Oaklander,
Mandy. "Here's What Happens When You Drink Red Wine Every Night." Time.
Time, 12 Oct. 2015. Web. 15 Oct. 2015. http://time.com/4070762/red-wine-resveratrol-diabetes/
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