The Checkup

Health in the News and in Your Life

Does Drinking Shrink the Brain?

Our brains decrease in size by about 2 percent per decade. And the brains of drinkers may shrink more quickly, according to a study published in the Archives of Neurology. Those who drank most saw the most shrinkage. Women's brains were affected more than men's, perhaps because women tend to be smaller than men and may metabolize alcohol differently.

-- Jennifer Huget

Tan Teik Lock wrote:

Of course alcohol shrinks the brain just as it shrinks all body tissues. I recall that in my medical school days when we used alcohol to preserve tissues taken for study, the size of tissues shrank slightly after some time. Likewise cerebral functions are affected, especially those that require finer movements as well as judgment and accuracy.

3rd generation non-drinker wrote:

For health, religious or personal reasons, millions of Americans choose not to drink at all. Among these people there is no alcoholism, no drunk driving, no unintended pregnancies due to the influence of alcohol, no fetal alcohol syndrome, no alcohol-related fighting or domestic violence, no hangovers, no beer bellies and, of course, much lower restaurant bills. Since most of the "health benefits" of wine can also come from grape juice, it puzzles me that in this day and age anyone would encourage drinking as healthy.

Online Support for Your Mind

Surfing the Web may seem mindless at times, but new research indicates Googling may help keep your brain sharp.

A growing body of evidence is supporting the "use-it-or-lose-it" hypothesis of aging. It says staying mentally active helps keep the brain spry. So far, research has focused on reading, doing crossword puzzles, learning languages and other traditional mental calisthenics. The new study, which will be published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, is the first to examine whether spending a lot of time searching the Web keeps those synapses fired up.

-- Rob Stein

The Sunshine Vitamin

The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that the daily intake of Vitamin D for kids and teens be doubled, from the current 200 International Units to 400 IUs, a move that would prompt many to take Vitamin D supplements, as it's hard to get that much of the vitamin from food. Milk, fortified cereals, fatty fish, eggs and cheese are all good sources of Vitamin D, which is thought to offer protection against cancer, heart disease, diabetes and perhaps even multiple sclerosis; experts attribute a recent resurgence in the bone-softening disease rickets to Vitamin D deficiencies.

-- Jennifer Huget

mneal wrote:

Lack of exposure to sunshine is one culprit. Children don't spend as much time outside, and when they do they are likely to be slathered in sunscreen. Less likely to develop skin cancer, but at risk for rickets.

Kids + Sports = Better Health

No surprise here: Kids who play sports and do other physical activities report all kinds of health benefits, and they feel better about themselves mentally and physically, a comprehensive new study shows.

Those are the findings of the Women's Sports Foundation, which partnered with Harris Interactive to survey 2,185 children in grades 3 through 12 and 863 parents about the kids' participation in organized sports and other activities such as playing Frisbee and going camping and hiking.

-- Jennifer Huget

Donna wrote:

Childhood obesity has reached epic proportions, and I believe any type of physical activity is beneficial. My stepson is a fantastic soccer player. He is a member of a travel soccer league, and he plays soccer in school. He gets great exercise, learns to work with other kids on a team and develops his social skills. Children can learn the same skills playing on a playground or kickball in the back yard. The important thing is to get our kids outside rather than spending so many hours on video games and television.