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Brain health: Even a little alcohol impairs brain blood flow (www.medicalnewstoday.com)
submitted 3 months ago by to c/science@lemmy.world
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[–] 4 points 3 months ago (3 children)

When I read studies like this, I wonder what variables they aren't including. What else causes impaired blood flow in the brain? Anything? If anything else does, it is affected by consuming alcohol? Does alcohol impare flow more or less than the other thing(s)? For example if extreme stress impared blood flow but alcohol decreased the stress and then impared blood flow but impared it less than the stress did, alcohol would be a positive, but if it aded to the impairment, it would be a negative. Ancedotally I know plenty of people, now in their late 80s and 90s who have drank moderately and it doesn't seem to have caused them any significant issues. I also know teatotallers that haven't made it to age 65 without the beginning of dementia type deficits.

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  • [–] 4 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

    Ancedotally I know plenty of people, now in their late 80s and 90s who have drank moderately and it doesn’t seem to have caused them any significant issues.

    Which is why anecdotes are ignored in science. This is exactly what RFK Jr. does.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 months ago

    What else causes impaired blood flow in the brain?

    Alcohol impairs brain blood flow by causing stiffening of blood vessels, inducing oxidative stress that damages cellular structures, and reducing overall cerebral perfusion—particularly in the frontal and temporal lobes. Even low levels of consumption can reduce blood flow, which impairs oxygen delivery, causes cognitive decline, and increases the risk of brain atrophy.

    This is not new or controversial.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Yeah, that's one of the reasons why laypersons shouldnt really read studies in isolation. A single study isnt the whole picture, and isnt meant to be. It is meant to ask and answer a specific question that can fit into the whole picture of our understanding.

    I think there is something of a secular neo-temperance movement going on right now, where people talk about how alcohol is soooo bad for you. And to be sure, alcohol is bad for you - anyone who's had a hangover can tell you that. But life doesn't have to be about being "optimally healthy", and sacrificing a bit of health for a bit of fun is totally reasonable - you could say all the same things about, say, chocolate cake.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    sacrificing a bit of health for a bit of fun is totally reasonable

    So it's not possible to have fun and be sociable without alcohol or other intoxicant? What does that say about society?

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  • [–] 1 point 3 months ago

    Aaaaand the secular neo-temperance crowd has arrived.

    Of course it is possible to have fun without alcohol. I might get some friends together to go for a nice hike on a sunday, where we can exercise and talk and goof around and have a good time in nature, and that is fun. And then afterwards, maybe we finish the day by going to a brewery and having a couple beers and eating some french fries, and that is also fun. But there is no pressure to join for the second part, or to drink or eat the french fries if you do join. You can just be sober and have a good time too. I just personally enjoy drinking, so I do it on occasion, and my life is better for it.

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