General Health

Moderate Alcohol Drinking Is Associated With Nearly 40% Lower Risk of Dementia

Drinking alcohol in moderation lowers dementia risk, including Alzheimer’s disease, among elderly aged 75 or older. One to two drinks per day significantly lowered risk in this prospective study.

Alcohol’s Good for You?

A New York Times article, “Alcohol’s good for you? Some scientists doubt it,” looks exclusively at epidemiological studies. However, the mechanisms whereby moderate alcohol drinking improves health are increasingly understood. And non-drinkers who begin drinking moderately reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease, according to recent prospective research.

Light Drinking During Pregnancy May be Beneficial for Children

Children of mothers who drank light amounts of alcohol had children who performed better on conduct, emotional, and cognitive measures at age 3 that did those from alcohol abstainers during pregnancy.

Little Evidence that Occasional Binge Drinking by Pregnant Women Harms Baby

There is little evidence that occasional binge drinking during pregnancy seriously harms the fetus, according to a review of over 3,500 publications, including fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), miscarriages, stillbirths, abnormal birthweights, or birth defects.

Light Drinking During Pregnancy May be Beneficial for Children

Children of mothers who drank light amounts of alcohol had children who performed better on conduct, emotional, emotional and cognitive measures at age 3 that did those from alcohol abstainers during pregnancy.

Drinking Alcohol Protects against Low Bone Density and Osteoporotic Fractures

Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with increased bone density and reduced risk of fractures caused by osteoporosis reports a meta-analysis of 33 studies on alcohol intake and bone density, osteoporosis, and bone fractures.

Headache Medication Helps Reduce/Stop Drinking

Topiramate (brand name Topamax) is the only medication shown to be effective for alcoholics and heavy drinkers who are still drinking. Drinkers get pleasure from alcohol when it releases the chemical dopamine in the brain. Topiramate works by eliminating the excess dopamine so that drinkers no longer get any pleasure from consuming alcohol. Although approval for treating alcoholism has not been requested from the FDA, there is no prohibition against physicians prescribing the medication “off-label” for that purpose.

Drinking Alcohol May Reduce Risk of Developing Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis risk appears to be reduced by consuming alcohol on a regular basis , according to scientific research presented at the European Congress on Rheumatology. The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown.

Moderate Drinking May Benefit Women Even More than Men

Moderate consumption of alcohol and more frequent drinking are associated with better health for both genders, but the positive effects are stronger for women than for men.

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