Alcohol continues to
resurface as a subject of controversy. The health industry undertakes constant
debate as to whether alcohol consumption is good or bad for one’s health. Evidence
on the positives and negatives of alcohol can be found in magnitude from a
variety of sources. As new research on the physical effects of alcohol
consumption and its health effects emerge every day, it can be challenging for
a growing adult to make the choice to include alcohol in their life. In a world
that broadcasts alcohol in movies and shows as a positive, entertaining
substance, consumption of alcohol in adolescence has grown. This in turn, can
have significant effects on the development of the body.
Jaime Roitman investigated how alcohol consumption
during adolescence effects decisions associated with risk. Rats were used as
the subjects and were divided into two groups. The experimental group was
allowed access to gelatin containing ethanol, allowing the rats to
consume the ethanol at their own free will. The control group was allowed
access to gelatin lacking ethanol. Based on daily consumption levels, six rats
were placed into the high ethanol consumption group and six were placed into
the low ethanol consumption group. Forty
days after ethanol exposure terminated, behavioral testing began. Rats were
classified as adult animals when behavioral testing was conducted. The behavioral tests consisted of two levers.
When pressed, one lever provided a same size certain reward. In contrast, the
other lever provided larger, but uncertain rewards. Prior to the behavioral
tests, preference training was conducted to ensure no presence of preference for
a specific lever. Four microwires were surgically inserted into the orbitofrontal
cortex of each animal to monitor and record neuronal activity. The control and
ethanol low group chose the risky lever significantly less in comparison to the
ethanol high group. The results of the electrophysiological recordings showed
that the animals in the higher ethanol group had reduced levels of activity to
rewards in only one of the five populations of neurons. The decrease in
response to reward, therefore is contributing to the increase in risky choices.
This is just one study that showcases a potentially harmful effect of alcohol
consumption during adolescence. Generally speaking, seeing that alcohol has an
effect on brain function should caution consumers to be more aware of how great
of an effect alcohol can have on the body.
In a recent article,
“Is Moderate Drinking Even Moderately Good For Us?” Tamar Haspel spoke on
the positives of drinking that are commonly known to society. Haspel presented
multiple perspectives as to why drinking has been known to have health
benefits. She also states that many of these studies have come under
investigation as being flawed. Although moderate drinking has been show to
reduce heart disease, cholesterol, and inflammation, negative consequences are
still prevalent.
Both pieces showcase
the effects moderate drinking can have on the body. It is widely agreed upon
that heavy drinking is detrimental. In regards to overall mortality, it is hard
to pinpoint how much of an effect alcohol has since individuals who drink and
those who do not tend to have very different lifestyles. It was mentioned in Roitman’s
research that they were unable to determine why some rats chose to consume more
ethanol than others. It was hypothesized that the difference
could be correlated to “neurophysiological differences resulting from early
life stress” (Roitman 1373). Haspel’s article also tackled a similar question
asking why some individuals choose to drink more than others. It is mentioned that
it could be in correlation to a gene known as rs1229984 which could control the
way you feel after you have consumed alcohol. Those who had the gene may feel
the undesirable after effects of drinking such as feeling ill or uncomfortable
to a greater extent than those how go not possess the gene. This could be a new
way in which researches approach subjects for alcohol testing.
Although the debate on
alcohol and its range of consequences awaits much more research, each new piece
of information pushes society one step closely to understanding the complexity
of alcohol consumption.
Roitman,
Jaime Donahey. “Consequences of Adolescent Ethanol Consumption on Risk
Preference and
Orbitofrontal Cortex Encoding of Reward.”
Neuropsychopharmacology (2016) 41, pg. 1336-1375
Haspel,
Tamar. “Is Moderate Drinking Even Moderately Good For Us?” National Geographic,
National
Geographic, 27 Apr. 2016, www.nationalgeographic.com/people-and-
culture/food/the-plate/2016/04/27/is-moderate-drinking-even-moderately-
good-for-us/.
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