Browsing all articles tagged with alcohol brain cells
Apr
28
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Alcohol, An Intelligent Choice

Author zaca    Category hangovers     Tags

As proven by world genius alcoholics as Edgar Allen Poe, Oscar Wilde, and Alexander the Great, alcohol use and mental deficit are hardly related.  The notion that drinking alcohol causes a canyon’s load of dead brain cells is a debunked myth and scare tactic with roots starting during prohibition.

Several recent studies have shown that alcohol, in fact, has a positive effect on cognitive function, just ask Earnest Hemmingway.  According to the Whitehall study, those who moderately drink alcohol on a regular basis, which could mean four or five bottles of wine in the week, have sharper mental processes.  The theory behind these brain boosting benefits involves an increased blood flow to the brain with alcohol consumption.  6,000 civil servants were tested on their short term memory and mathematical reasoning.  The scores were cross matched with their lifetime drinking habits.  Those who abstained from alcohol were two times as likely as light drinkers for achieving the lowest test scores.

In Italy, over 15,000 men and women over 65 were tested on mental impairments commonly associated with older age.  29% of those who practiced abstinence from alcohol showed signs of mental degradation, while only 19% of those who regularly used alcohol showed similar symptoms.  In Toronto, similar research with women in their 70s showed akin results.  Moderate drinkers outperformed abstainers on five of seven mental cognition tests conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health.  Additionally, the combined score of all seven tests ranked dramatically higher for the ladies who love libations.

None of these test results are congruent with the effects of alcohol abuse, only of those who practice moderation.

Headache, nausea, and all the other fun symptoms of a hangover may make you feel as though you’ve killed half your brain cells, but what you really need is a good hangover remedy and to start preparing for your TED talk, great lectures don’t write themselves.