Tag: alcohol

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Patients with heart rhythm disorder warned against heavy alcohol consumption — ScienceDaily

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Fourteen drinks a week is linked with a higher risk of health problems including stroke and embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation, according to research published in EP Europace, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

“Our study suggests that atrial fibrillation patients should avoid heavy alcohol consumption to prevent stroke and other complications,” said author Dr. Boyoung Joung of Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

The study included 9,411 patients with atrial fibrillation from 18 tertiary hospitals covering all geographical regions of South Korea. Patients were categorised into four groups according to their weekly alcohol consumption (one drink contains 14 grams of alcohol): abstainer/rare (0 grams/less than one drink), light (less than 100 grams/7 drinks), moderate (100-200 grams/7-14 drinks), and heavy (200 grams/14 drinks or more).

A total of 7,455 (79.2%) patients were classified as abstainer/rare, 795 (8.4%) as light, 345 (3.7%) as

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Older adults in wealthier countries drink more alcohol — ScienceDaily

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A new global study finds older people in wealthy countries consume more alcohol than their counterparts in middle-income countries, on average, although a higher cost of alcohol is associated with less frequent drinking. Across counties, people drink less as they get older, but at different rates and starting points. The study was led by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center. Findings are published in the journal Addiction.

Alcohol consumption among older adults is trending higher across numerous countries, and alcohol use disorders among adults 65 and older have more than doubled in the last ten years. Moreover, there are signs that alcohol consumption is further increasing during the pandemic. Age-related changes that slow metabolism and increase the odds of medication interactions make alcohol consumption likely more harmful among older than younger adults.

The researchers analyzed survey data collected

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Drug eases recovery for those with severe alcohol withdrawal — ScienceDaily

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A drug once used to treat high blood pressure can help alcoholics with withdrawal symptoms reduce or eliminate their drinking, Yale University researchers report Nov. 19 in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

In a double-blind study, researchers gave the drug prazosin or a placebo to 100 people entering outpatient treatment after being diagnosed with alcohol use disorder. All of the patients had experienced varying degrees of withdrawal symptoms prior to entering treatment.

According to the researchers, subjects with more severe symptoms — including shakes, heightened cravings and anxiety, and difficulty sleeping — who received prazosin significantly reduced the number of heavy drinking episodes and days they drank compared to those who received a placebo. The drug had little effect on those with few or no withdrawal symptoms.

“There has been no treatment readily available for people who experience severe withdrawal symptoms and these are the people at highest risk

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Chronic alcohol use reshapes the brain’s immune landscape, driving anxiety and addiction — ScienceDaily

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Deep within the brain, a small almond-shaped region called the amygdala plays a vital role in how we exhibit emotion, behavior and motivation. Understandably, it’s also strongly implicated in alcohol abuse, making it a long-running focus of Marisa Roberto, PhD, professor in Scripps Research’s Department of Molecular Medicine.

Now, for the first time, Roberto and her team have identified important changes to anti-inflammatory mechanisms and cellular activity in the amygdala that drive alcohol addiction. By countering this process in mice, they were able to stop excessive alcohol consumption — revealing a potential treatment path for alcohol use disorder. The study is published in Progress in Neurobiology.

“We found that chronic alcohol exposure compromises brain immune cells, which are important for maintaining healthy neurons,” says Reesha Patel, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in Roberto’s lab and first author of the study. “The resulting damage fuels anxiety and alcohol drinking that may

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New simple method accelerates elimination of alcohol from the body — ScienceDaily

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A staggering 3 million deaths occur every year as result from harmful use of alcohol, according to the World Health Organization.

Present in alcoholic drinks, ethanol, normally referred to as ‘alcohol’, affects every part of the human body. Brain function, circulation and even nail growth are impacted. When a certain level of blood alcohol concentration is reached, the intoxication can damage organs and lead to death.

In a study published today in Scientific Reports, a Nature Research Journal, a team of researchers led by Dr. Joseph Fisher presents a proof of concept of a simple method that could become a game-changer in rescue therapy for severe alcohol intoxication, as well as just “sobering up.”

Normally, 90% of the alcohol in the human body is cleared exclusively by the liver at constant rate that can’t be increased. Currently there is no other method, short of dialysis, whereby alcohol can be

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According To Drizly, Alcohol Sales Surged Election Night As Americans Filled Their Glasses

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As results unfolded over election night (and the days following), most of the country was, well, reaching for a drink. Election watch parties may have been scrapped, but that doesn’t mean drinkers weren’t filling their glasses—according to alcohol e-commerce giant Drizly, sales jumped almost 58% (in comparison to an average of the last four Tuesdays). 

Sales were Drizly’s year-over-year growth—219% higher to be exact. These jumps were industry-wide—Google
GOOG
 reported searches for ‘alcoholic drinks’ had never been higher.

New York City saw alcohol sales spiked a whopping 110.4%, while D.C.—the epicenter of election happenings—saw a 132.57% increase in alcohol sales.

While this is all interesting, what’s particularly fascinating is the sales breakdown between red, blue and swing states. Blue states purchased more wine, while red states headed towards something stronger.

Sales in blues states (Drizly is present in

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Takeaway alcohol allowed during second lockdown

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Cropped shot of an unrecognizable young man pouring a cold bottle of beer while sitting on sofa
Alcohol will be able to be ordered and collected from pubs during the second national lockdown. (Getty)

The government has U-turned on guidance for the second lockdown which previously suggested a ban on restaurants and pubs serving takeaway alcohol.

Official guidelines published over the week had indicated that alcoholic drinks would not be able to be sold to customers to take home during the national lockdown in England that starts on Thursday.

However, the new rules now state customers can pre-order their drink online, or by phone or post, which can then be collected – as long as they do not enter a premises.

The proposed regulations, that were published on Tuesday evening, say that a restricted business can only sell alcohol for off-premises consumption by “making deliveries in response to orders received” through a website or other on-line communication, by telephone, including text message, or by post.

The regulations

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