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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The negative health effects and social impacts of alcohol abuse are well know, but moderate alcohol intake can be beneficial.
Alcoholics often suffer from permanent organ and even brain damage, but various studies show a few drinks can improve cardiovascular and cognitive function. Experts came together to discuss these complex findings at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism in Chicago, Ill., in July 2007. The highlights of their discussion will be featured in an upcoming issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
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It seemed important to bring researchers together in this roundtable, in part to inform the research community about these emerging mechanisms, Michael A. Collins, Ph.D., a professor of biochemistry at Loyola University Chicago, was quoted as saying.
One of the key findings of alcohol they discussed includes its complex relationship with cardiovascular and neurovascular diseases. For example, different amounts of alcohol intake have been linked to a lower risk of coronary heart disease, higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke and higher risk of ischemic stroke, and possible lower risk of dementia with age.
We need greater insight into how cells in the adult brain and heart, in response to moderate alcohol exposure, are able to achieve a relatively protected state with respect to certain insults or cytotoxins, Dr. Collins said.
Knowing more about these mechanisms may help develop therapeutic agents that could have a significant impact on heart disease, a leading cause of death, and dementia, which is estimated to strike about every seven seconds.
Researchers say another aspect of alcohol that requires more research is its affect on inflammation. Alcohol in high binge amounts can induce free radicals and inflammatory molecules like cytokines, which most likely contribute to organ damage due to alcoholism. However, moderate alcohol intake does the opposite, and actually produces an anti-inflammatory response.
The roundtable researchers dont encourage irresponsible drinking; however, if a responsible adult is doing well socially, psychologically and physically with a stable, non-binge pattern of moderate alcohol ingestion, there is no apparent reason to stop, Dr. Collins said.
SOURCE: Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, published online November 2008
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