Slog - Comments on There Go My Golden Years http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years Wine may get better with age but the wine drinkers won't. The more alcohol you drink, the more your brain shrinks, a new study has found. "The take-home message is that, if you drink a lot, you're going to hurt your brain," said Rajesh Miranda, an associate professor of neuroscience and experimental therapeutics at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine. "This is something we knew, but this is a huge study that quantifies that." ... [T]he more a person drank, the more their brain volume diminished. This relationship was somewhat more pronounced in women, although women tended... Copyright 2008 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:23:03 -0800 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:09:23 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by flamingbanjo So excessive drinking is bad for you?

]]> flamingbanjo http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172329 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172329 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:29:22 -0800 Comment by Chris Great! I can drink more, and my synapse gaps will shrink, reducing my overall reaction time!

]]> Chris http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172330 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172330 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:29:36 -0800 Comment by idaho Oh what a pile of shit. Are they following individuals over time, or just comparing drinkers to non-drinkers? If the latter, they can't say shit about causation. Maybe tiny brained people are more prone to drinking; maybe there's an underlying characteristic that causes both shrinking brains and more alcohol consumption.

And the idea that it's more pronounced in women? Come on -- do the researchers know if women are more likely to underreport their consumption than men, therefore skewing the results? It's a lot less socially acceptable for women to drink mass quantities than men -- especially in the 60 year old generation.

]]> idaho http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172339 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172339 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:33:28 -0800 Comment by Greg My ultimate goal is for the tiny, little, walnut-sized remaining nubbin of my brain to go 'poof' on my 90th birthday. See you there, bitches! Bring liquor.

]]> Greg http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172340 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172340 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:36:08 -0800 Comment by Drunky McDrunkerson So what? The average person only uses about 10% of their brain on a good day, meaning it's already more than 80% wasted space in there anyway.

]]> Drunky McDrunkerson http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172342 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172342 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:40:49 -0800 Comment by brandon 3 - too drunk to read the article? the answers to your questions are right there.

]]> brandon http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172344 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172344 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:42:57 -0800 Comment by slim I think I am smarter when I drink. And that is the only metric that really matters. Unless you happen to be not me.

]]> slim http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172346 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172346 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:43:24 -0800 Comment by The facts of life. I'm better at video games when I'm drunk, and the only time I'm entirely honest is when I'm drunk...the only way I can sit through political speeches is if I'm drunk, and the only way I'll vote is drunk. I think I'm better off drinking.

]]> The facts of life. http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172352 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172352 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:49:07 -0800 Comment by Leslie N. @5, no.

Brain is divided into sections...you know...called lobes that have differing functions--frontal, occipital, parietal, and temporal. Even within those lobes, there are sub regions like Broca and Wernicke's area, pre frontal lobe, blah blah blah. Even conservatives use more than 10%, even if doesn't seem like it.

As for the study...well, duh. Alcohol abuse hurts the body. Who would have thought?

]]> Leslie N. http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172354 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172354 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:52:02 -0800 Comment by Mike in Renton So just like, oh, every other credible scientific study in history, the take away here is that moderation is the key.

Duh.

]]> Mike in Renton http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172359 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172359 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:57:47 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle This is why studies always say that the benefits for women are mixed, whereas they're positive for men.

And I disagree about "use", Leslie, more like "misuse".

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172360 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172360 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:59:33 -0800 Comment by kinaidos *None of the participants had evidence of clinical dementia or had suffered a stroke.* So in effect they've shown that among a population pre-screened to not be susceptible to stroke or dementia, heavy alcohol consumption caused brain shrinkage. There's an obvious flaw here: perhaps you've effectivly screened out the non-drinkers who had above average shrinkage - i.e. those more susceptible to stroke. Maybe what they've really shown is that if you're predisposed to dementia or a stroke becuase of above normal brain shrinkage, drinking wine like a basque peasant actually lowers your odds of stroke and dementia.

]]> kinaidos http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172367 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172367 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:07:19 -0800 Comment by Toe Tag I thought that's what we were shooting for all along.

]]> Toe Tag http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172369 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172369 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:10:03 -0800 Comment by max solomon OTOH, weed totally reverses this.

]]> max solomon http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172375 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172375 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:12:34 -0800 Comment by alexb BUT according to the BBC, using the Internet will grow your brain!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7667610.stm

Just websurf drunk, they'll cancel each other out and you'll be fine.

]]> alexb http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172385 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172385 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:27:28 -0800 Comment by You_Gotta_Be_Kidding_Me "This relationship was somewhat more pronounced in women..."

No shit?...

]]> You_Gotta_Be_Kidding_Me http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172403 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172403 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:42:35 -0800 Comment by Jeff Stevens Well, no wonder Ted Roethke couldn't write poetry worth shit!

]]> Jeff Stevens http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172408 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172408 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:49:57 -0800 Comment by Tom So now we know where right-wing republicans come from.

]]> Tom http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172486 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172486 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:42:36 -0800 Comment by Cookie W. Monster So how come Megan Seling doesn't look like Metaluna?

]]> Cookie W. Monster http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172516 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172516 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:08:13 -0800 Comment by Dougsf The article does mention that there's no solid correlation between brain shrink and brain function, however.

And for what it's worth (I know it was just a joke but I'm being THAT GUY anyways), the "we only use 10% our brain" idea is a myth. We actually need 100% of our brains for one thing or another. The persistence of this misnomer is, in part, a holdover from mystics and psychics purporting we only use 10% of our brain's potential - the other 90% of course THEY use (for a fee) to tap into their supernatural powers.

I need a beer.

]]> Dougsf http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172522 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172522 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:12:07 -0800 Comment by beatgrl Ah, #15 beat me to it.

]]> beatgrl http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172526 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172526 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:12:41 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle @12 - actually, everyone's at risk of dementia, the age-related incidence increases as you get older, and the same goes for stroke.

Mind you, exercise, a varied diet low in red meat, and drinking wine (if male) will help reduce those risks dramatically.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172722 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172722 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:57:50 -0800 Comment by The Incredible Sulk Dominic Holden give The Incredible Sulk bottle of Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill, Sulk drink bottle, freak out, brain shrink, THE INCREDIBLE SULK BECOME JOHN BAILO!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!!!!!! DAMN YOU, DOMINIC HOLDEN! DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU!

Hey, wait a minute! It was only a dream! Whew! Thank God!

And no, I don't feel like letting it go.

]]> The Incredible Sulk http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172793 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/there_go_my_golden_years#c1172793 Drugs Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:09:23 -0800