Small Doses of Alcohol Can Help Reduce Neural Disorders
Many people have heard that a glass of white wine can be healthy once in a while. Is this a myth created so workers can unwind without feeling guilty, or is there actually some science behind it? Recent research indicates that alcohol could do more than clear the mind; it can reduce inflammation and clear toxins away in the brain.
While an excessive amount of ethanol, which is known colloquially as alcohol, can hurt the brain, a small amount of ethanol taken periodically has health benefits. A small dose for the average adult would be two to two-and-a-half drinks per day, whereas anything more than 3 is considered heavy drinking. Ethanol can help the brain remove waste and toxins. The level of waste products and toxins are linked with risk for dementia, but excessive drinking showed a greater recession in mental ability. While chronic alcoholics had as much as 10% less gray matter volumes, small amounts showed that there was a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and cancers. This is due to the increased blood flow during low levels of ethanol. The increased blood flow helped to drive away any toxins that are in the blood and in the brain, thus, reducing levels of dementia.
While an excessive amount of ethanol, which is known colloquially as alcohol, can hurt the brain, a small amount of ethanol taken periodically has health benefits. A small dose for the average adult would be two to two-and-a-half drinks per day, whereas anything more than 3 is considered heavy drinking. Ethanol can help the brain remove waste and toxins. The level of waste products and toxins are linked with risk for dementia, but excessive drinking showed a greater recession in mental ability. While chronic alcoholics had as much as 10% less gray matter volumes, small amounts showed that there was a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and cancers. This is due to the increased blood flow during low levels of ethanol. The increased blood flow helped to drive away any toxins that are in the blood and in the brain, thus, reducing levels of dementia.
The neural connections in the brain could be harmed by high levels of toxins.
Image Source: Mysin
Low levels of alcohol also helped to reduce inflammation in the brain and lymphatic vessels. Research that compared the levels of toxins in the brain of those who drank small doses of alcohol and those who did not drink alcohol showed that there were less toxins in those that did drank small doses. This is because alcohol increased the rate of transfer between the cerebrospinal fluid and the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system cleaned waste products from the cerebral spinal fluid as well as the rest of the body. The fluid drained into the lymphatic system and took the waste to the liver, which acted as the final site of degradation. Since alcohol increased the amount of waste in the blood, the body reacted to increase blood flow and transferred the waste out faster. The reaction took out alcohol, but this process also facilitated the removal of other waste products such as neurotoxins, which have been linked with dementia and other other neurological diseases. Theoretically, a small amount of alcohol could reduce the risk of obtaining these diseases due to increased rates of waste excretion.
Overall, drinking an excessive amount of alcohol could be potential very dangerous and has been linked with a reduction in mental ability as time passes. However, the data from this research showed that small doses of alcohol can increase the rate of transfer of waste from the cerebrospinal to the lymphatic system. This suggested that low alcohol stimulated the removal of waste from the brain. A low dose of alcohol, about 2.6 drinks per day, could actually help reduce neural diseases.
Overall, drinking an excessive amount of alcohol could be potential very dangerous and has been linked with a reduction in mental ability as time passes. However, the data from this research showed that small doses of alcohol can increase the rate of transfer of waste from the cerebrospinal to the lymphatic system. This suggested that low alcohol stimulated the removal of waste from the brain. A low dose of alcohol, about 2.6 drinks per day, could actually help reduce neural diseases.
Featured Image Source: Burst
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