Drinking linked to faster mental decline in men

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Jan 15, 4:01 PM EST

Drinking linked to faster mental decline in men

By MALCOLM RITTER
AP Science Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Middle-aged men risk a faster mental decline as they age if they've been drinking heavily for years, new research suggests.

The study of about 5,000 British civil servants found that over a decade, the added decline was the equivalent of about two extra years of aging for a combined measure of mental abilities like reasoning, and about six years for memory. The heavy drinkers' abilities were compared to those of men who drank moderately or abstained.

It's no surprise that heavy alcohol consumption can affect the brain, but the study focuses on an age range that has received much less attention from alcohol researchers than the elderly and college students.

The work was published online Wednesday by the journal Neurology. Researchers found no such effect in women, but the study included too few female heavy drinkers to test the effect of drinking the same amount as in men, said Severine Sabia, a study author from University College London.



Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MED_ALCOHOL_BRAIN?SECTION=HOME&SITE=AP&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[yesphan]

1. Dammit !

[Jackpine Radical]

2. Duh, Huh?

*hic*

[truthisfreedom]

3. Sad.

[left on green only]

4. As Tom Waits Once Said.......

.....I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.

[Octafish]

6. Waits said that to Martin Mull and Fred Willard on 'Fernwood Tonight.'

We laughed and laughed and laughed...

[left on green only]

11. Thanks So Much For Posting That!

Previously, I had no idea where it came from. I heard it repeated and credited to Waits by some DJ from an "underground" (their word, not mine) FM station that was broadcasting from the arm pit of the SF Bay, during the early '70's. I remember that the comment was made after they had played some of his music from his first album. At the time I was just starting to get into the music of Tom Waits, and after I picked myself up off of the floor and finally stopped laughing, I found that in the years that followed, his words in this case had stuck with me.

[Helen Borg]

5. Probably true but...

As usual, the men who drink a lot might be drinking because they have some other problems, and these may be the cause for the faster decline...

[DonViejo]

7. Bull. They drink because they cannot not drink...

the rest is just an excuse. If the drinking stops, they should be able to confront and deal with the other problems.

[Helen Borg]

8. Perhaps.

But these other problems they have may be what is actually causing the faster cognitive decline that was observed. You don't know that is not the case. The researchers don't know. It's a logical possibility.

[joshcryer]

16. The stopping drinking is a difficult prospect for many.

Especially Native Americans who are genetically predisposed to alcoholism.

[joshcryer]

15. More likely short term memory loss adds up.

If you're wasted while acquiring some data or information and forget it, due to short term memory loss, your long term memory loss will be adversely affected. It's not really that surprising.

[Initech]

9. "Oh Lisa, you and your stories. Bart is a vampire. Beer kills brain cells. "

"Now let's go back to that building thingy... where our beds and TV is." - Homer Simpson

[crim son]

10. As a woman,

I approve of this message!

[1StrongBlackMan]

12. Ah Ohhh n/t

[Monk06]

13. I don't believe this for one bliaxominoflecks !!!

[ConcernedCanuk]

14. six years memory decline over a decade

.
.
.

I've been a dedicated beer drinker for over 4 decades,

I'm 63, add 24 for the "decline"

I got the memory of an 87 year old . . . .

wonder what I missed



CC

[madrchsod]

17. they needed a study for that?

well maybe they needed a study or an excuse to find out what is wrong with their civil servant system. maybe we should study this on this side of the pond.

[KurtNYC]

19. Here is my favorite recent study: Socialising in pubs ‘boosts mens’ mental health’

http://www.scotsman.com/news/health/socialising-in-pubs-boosts-mens-mental-health-1-3265049

[Paladin]

18. Brought to you by the Bureau Of Painfully Obvious Facts. (nt)