Experts throughout the world are urging doctors to lead the war against the abuse of alcohol, according to a recent article in US News. A recent statement from the United Nations Summit in NYC says there is an obvious lack of international action to try to correct the seriousness of the problem we are all facing globally.

Excessive alcohol abuse has become the third leading cause of diseases that are premature and preventable. The problem is globally affecting more than 70 million people. There is a vital need to pressure governments to recognize the problem and then adopt and put into place the necessary health policies. However, the conflict from government drives policies whereas commercial and/or social government powers slow up the progress of national and international policy making.

There are interventions that have been cost-effective and proven to work but support for these types of policies is not politically attractive to most. The study pointed out that doctors are in the unique position to talk about this problem in their daily practices. Doctors’ voices are a valued and trusted resource within our communities and societies. Sir Ian Gilmore, at the Royal College of Physicians in London, England points out that we call on our doctors for valuable leadership by holding health experts accountable for their lack of effort in tackling this problem with all the evidence we have.

The conclusion from the study was that we could combat the abuse of alcohol if we implement effective policies to help improve the health of our worldwide populations.

Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause severe difficulties for the developing baby. Multiple motor, behavioral and cognitive problems can surface during the child’s early years that continue into adulthood.Because of these risks, pregnant women have been urged to avoid even minimal alcohol consumption at all stages of pregnancy.

A recent study analyzed the differences in the deep gray matter volumes in the brains of children and adolescents diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) compared to children without FASD. The deep gray matter contains the brain’s "relay" stations that send and receive information between different areas of the brain.

The study, which will be published in the August 2011 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, looked at the major structures of the brain, including the basal ganglia, hippocampus, thalamus and amygdala, which are involved in processing memory, cognition, motor function and emotions.

Corresponding author Christian Beaulieu, professor in biomedical engineering at the University of Alberta, explains that the communication that happens between areas of the brain contained in the deep gray matter are important for cognitive function. Beaulieu and colleagues conducted the first study to look at all six deep gray matter structures, comparing volume with the same brain regions in subjects in the same age range without FASD.

The research team compared two groups matched well in age, from 6 to 17 years, and gender, using high resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging to compare the deep gray matter volume in the hippocampus, amygdale, thalamus, caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus. Any changes with age were tracked.

The researchers found that in all six structures, the deep gray matter volume was reduced in the children and adolescents with FASD. The volume reductions were noted over a wide age range. Beaulieu compares reduced gray matter volume to having less horsepower under the hood. Smaller structures in the deep gray matter have less capacity to send and receive messages with different areas of the brain.

The children with FASD showed a significantly lower volume in deep gray matter, from seven to 18 percent when compared to the control group. This indicates that the structures are severely affected by alcohol consumption by the mother during fetal development. The results also showed that some of the differences were consistent with age, while others changed with age.

The findings of the study show the severity of the injury caused to the brain by the mother’s consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. While it was clear that cognitive problems stemmed from FASD, this research is helpful in understanding the specific ways that the brain is affected by FASD.

There is a trend emerging among young drinkers in which energy drinks and alcohol are combined to produce a cocktail that pairs the effects of alcohol with those of caffeine. It is especially popular on college campuses, where students combat the effects of long hours of studying with drinks charged with caffeine.

The drinks may be very dangerous. Some research studies have shown that when alcohol and energy drinks are combined, the consumer of the drink experiences an inhibited understanding of the effects the alcohol is having on their bodies. The effects of the energy drink mask the amount of alcohol consumed, but without reducing the effects of the alcohol.

There are now appearing in the market pre-mixed alcoholic energy drinks, and new research from Australia is causing medical experts there to recommend the banning of such cocktails from store shelves. The Australian Medical Association says that research from the University of Wollongong Centre for Health Initiatives shows that the drinks are a major problem.

The study conducted showed that 12- to 17-year-olds were more likely to drink alcoholic drinks if they contained caffeine or guarana, according to AMA Vice President Dr. Steve Hambleton. Young drinkers are attracted to the drinks because they allow for longer drinking periods.

Dr. Hambleton says that the AMA is especially disturbed by the products’ popularity among under-age drinkers, some even as young as 12 years old. The kids easily make the jump from energy drinks to alcoholic energy drinks.

The AMA states that it is an irresponsible and dangerous move for the alcohol industry to market products that are proven to be especially attractive to young people, especially those in their teen years. The products put young Australians at risk for developing an early addiction to alcohol, produced when alcoholic energy drinks allow for longer drinking periods.

The consumption of alcohol with a stimulant reduces the perception of drunkenness, but the physical and mental impairments do not change with the addition of energy drink to alcohol, but remain the same. In teenagers, this effect may lead to increased levels of risk-taking behaviors, making injury and bad choices more likely.

Heavy episodic drinking is associated with a higher risk of injury and risky sexual behavior. In addition, when individuals are introduced to alcohol at a young age, they are more likely to exhibit problematic alcoholic behavior patterns later in adulthood. In addition, earlier initiation of alcohol consumption gives the body a longer exposure to toxins in alcohol that heighten the risk of liver disorders and multiple types of cancer.

Youngsters who binge drink are risking their mental health later in life says a new study conducted by researchers at the Loyola University Health System. Past studies have shown that excessive drinking can cause cognitive impairment in adolescents because the brains of young adults are still developing. Lead researcher, Toni Pak, PhD, states that teens that binge on alcohol could upset connections in the brain that are necessary for the brain to function normally.

The study tested the long-term effect that large amounts of alcohol had on stress hormones in young rats. The rats were exposed to an eight day binge cycle. The first three days consisted of heavy alcohol injections (saline injections for the test group), followed by two days rest, then three more days of heavy alcohol exposure. The rats were examined again one month later once they were adults. They were divided into three groups – they were either given a small amount of alcohol, injected with a saline solution, or subjected to another binge cycle.

Similar to humans, rats produce a stress hormone in response to physical and mental anxiety. The hormone in rats is known as corticosterone. It reacts like the human equivalent cortisol, in that it helps to release blood sugar to restore balance in the body when exposed to stress. While tests done on animals are not always indicative of what will happen in humans, the study does have implications for the method by which teen drinking can lead to adult mood disorders.

Researchers found that corticosterone levels were elevated for the groups that received the one-time injection and for those that were subjected to the binge cycle. Also, the rats that had received alcohol in their adolescence showed marked increases in the stress hormone when exposed to alcohol later as adults. While temporary increases in cortisol may prove beneficial, long-term exposure has been linked to depression and heart problems.

Additionally, rats that received alcohol had lower base levels of corticosterone than those rats who abstained. The results of the study suggest that heavy alcohol exposure in one’s youth can have lasting changes on the release of stress hormones in the body.

Data from the British Medical Association shows that youngsters are drinking more at younger ages. And, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that more than a third of adolescents aged 18 to 20 admitted to binging on alcohol at least once in the past month. Excessive alcohol consumption at these young ages can produce numerous negative side effects aside from depression. Since studies show that binge drinking begins at age 13 on average, educational efforts need to be geared toward those in middle school in order to make an impact.

A specific gene variant may play a role in one’s ability to regulate alcohol consumption and help explain why some individuals are more susceptible to alcoholism or excessive drinking than others, according to a new British study.

The gene, called autism susceptibility candidate 2, or AUTS2, has already been linked to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in previous studies, yet its function has remained unclear. Now, researchers have found that identifying a common variation of the gene among patients may also help scientists to better understand the mechanisms that underlie such problem drinking behaviors as alcoholism and binge drinking, and potentially lead to better treatment methods for alcohol-related disorders.

Along with other important contributors, alcoholism has also been found to be influenced by genetics, as evidenced by twin studies. According to the researchers, identifying gene variants can partially help clinicians determine an individual’s ability to control their rate of alcohol consumption or their risk for alcoholism. Prior to this recent study, only one known gene encoding had been recognized as contributing to one’s rate of alcohol consumption – an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase – but has only been found to affect the break down alcohol in the liver. However, the new study has found AUTS2 to play a small but noticeable role in alcoholism on a biological level – a discovery which the researchers say can open up new doors of investigation into the disorder that is mostly treated on a neuropsychological level.

Led by Professor Paul Elliot, an international team of researchers from both Imperial College and King’s College London conducted a study involving over 47,000 participants in which researchers analyzed DNA samples from 26,000 volunteers to identify any genetic variations that affected their alcohol consumption regulation, and then compared their findings to a second group of another 21,000 volunteers. All participants were asked to report their levels of alcohol consumption in a questionnaire, as well. The researchers’ findings were published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The AUTS2 gene variant is mostly found in the region of the brain known as the ‘reward circuitry,’ which explains how the gene may be associated with controlling signals of positive reinforcement to individuals when they choose whether to drink more alcohol. In their report, the researchers found that two different versions of the AUTS2 gene exist, with one version three times more common than the other. On average, participants with the rarer version were found to drink five percent less alcohol than participants with the more common version. In a second investigation, the researchers analyzed the level of activity of the AUTS2 gene in samples of donated human brain tissue, and found that individuals with the rarer gene type also had higher activity levels of AUTS2 compared to individuals with the more common version. This indicates that those with the rarer gene variant may be better equipped at controlling their alcohol consumption since their reward circuitry is more regulated by this gene. Individuals with the more common gene variant which exhibits less activity in the brain, therefore, are more susceptible to associating alcohol consumption with reward since their brains may be sending them more positive reinforcements when drinking.

Using two animal investigations – one with fruit flies and one with mice that were selectively bred based upon their levels of voluntary alcohol consumption – the researchers confirmed the differences between the rarer and more common versions of the AUTS2 gene. Furthermore, the animals were better capable of controlling their consumption when their version of the gene variant was controlled.

As a result of their findings, the researchers suggest that considering both behavioral as well as genetic influences in patients could provide clinicians with a more effective method of treatment for alcoholism or other problem drinking disorders. Prevention and treatment strategies, in a sense, could become more individualized from patient to patient. The new study’s findings are a significant step forward in the scientific field’s efforts at eradicating alcoholism and alcohol abuse disorders, which are considered the third leading cause of disability worldwide.

Whether or not an individual has had long-term exposure to alcohol may be apparent in their appearance, or in new fingernail and hair tests. According to this Medical News Today report, two new tests have been launched by the United States Drug Testing Laboratories (USDTL) that will monitor long-term alcohol exposure.

The tests use fingernail and hair specimens and have been shown to be the first and only tests available that can report alcohol exposure for the past 90 days reliably. The tests, known as NailStat and HairState EtG will measure glucuronide (EtG) in fingernails and hair samples.

EtG is a minor product of the metabolism of alcohol and acts as a direct alcohol biomarker. In a USDTL study sponsored by NIAAA of 600 college students, the EtG levels in nails and hair related extremely well to the number of drinks reported by the students involved in the study.

USDTL President and Scientific Director Douglas Lewis noted that this is the first time there is a tool available that will provide direct evidence of alcohol exposure with an approximate dosing history.

Tests that have been available in the past have been unable to provide a large enough exposure history for those healthcare professionals trying to monitor abstinence or level of exposure. The phosphatidylethanol (PEth) test can only capture the three weeks prior to the collection of the blood samples and urine EtG only provides for the last few days.

Lewis noted that nail samples are preferred over hair samples as fingernails show no gender bias and cosmetic treatments can destroy the presence of some drugs and biomarkers in the hair. As a result, some woman cannot provide a valid sample.

A new study has found that victims of severe traumatic elder abuse are more likely to be female, suffer from a mental disorder, and abuse drugs or alcohol. Lead author Lee Friedman, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said that although previous studies have shown that alcohol use by the abuser plays a significant role in physical abuse, but this study suggests that alcohol abuse by the victim may also be an important factor.

The researchers looked at medical data of 41 cases of elder abuse from two Chicago-area Level I trauma units, and compared the data to a random set of other patients over the age of 60. They found that 29 percent of abuse victims tested positive for alcohol, compared to 13 percent of the control group. They also found that elderly victims of physical abuse suffered from more severe injuries than the non-abused controls. They also were more likely to suffer from medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and dementia, as well as mental illness and alcohol abuse.

The researchers found that length of hospital stay, injury severity, in-hospital fatalities, and treatment in an intensive care unit were all higher among those who had been abused, and were associated with long-term negative outcomes.

The study found that 20 of the victims returned to the environment where the abuse occurred after leaving the hospital. In many cases, the perpetrator was arrested, but 17 percent of the victims said they wanted to return to the perpetrator and did not wish to press charges. The majority (85 percent) of the perpetrators were family members or romantic partners of the victim. In most cases, the abuse was not realized until after the patient was admitted to the hospital or several days into the hospital stay.

Friedman said the failure to properly identify abuse victims and contact adult protective services shows that there needs to be higher awareness of elder abuse among clinicians. These findings also underscore the importance of identifying alcohol abuse among both abuse victims and perpetrators.

Source: Science Daily, Elderly Victims of Abuse Often Use Alcohol or Drugs, Study Says, March 22, 2011

Is there a relationship between alcohol consumption and coronary artery disease? One research team set out to answer this question and their processes were reported in this recent Science Daily release.

The results of this study suggest that alcohol does in fact increase angiographically significant coronary artery disease. The subjects involved in this study included a large number of Chinese men with chest pain or EKG changes.

A number of these subjects underwent cardiac angiography and evaluated for obstructive coronary artery disease lesions according to their recent alcohol intake that had been self-reported. Study authors concluded that moderate-to-heavy alcohol consumption increased the risk of coronary artery disease in Chinese men. The risk appeared to increase with an increase in frequency and duration of drinking.

The finding from this study seemed to contradict a recent large population-based study from mainland China that determined that alcohol consumers were less likely to develop coronary artery disease. Similar results were found in studies conducted in Western populations.

The authors suggest that it is not possible to determine if the association of alcohol intake with coronary artery disease is different between Chinese and Western populations. What the study does suggest, however, is that additional research needs to be done to determine exactly what the risk is and how to educate individuals on how to reduce their own and protect their health.

Scientists for years have studied the human brain and body to better understand why some individuals are more prone to alcoholism while others are not. A Science Daily release examined the work of researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine who have discovered a gene variant that could offer protection against alcoholism.

The variant is known as CYP2E1, this gene is associated with an individual’s response to alcohol. This variant is known to exist in 10 to 20 percent of the population. For individuals with the gene, the first few drinks consumed can leave them feeling as if they are more inebriated than those without the variant.

In previous studies, researchers have found that individuals who react strongly to alcohol are less likely to become alcoholics later in life. Even as the research proved this to be true, researchers still were not clear on the genetic basis of this finding. With the discovery of the role CYP2E1 plays in the response to alcohol, the affect alcohol has on the brain is becoming more clear.

Even with the discovery of this gene that in essence protects against alcoholism; the disease is still very complex. There are a number of reasons why a person will drink and this gene variant and the individual’s perception of alcohol may only point to one possible approach to alcoholism.

This research does open up opportunities to use CYP2E1 induction to make people more sensitive to alcohol to try and prevent or treat alcoholism. The possibilities are still broad and additional research is needed.

For many an individual, practice makes perfect. When that practice involves a bottle of alcohol, the individual does not get better with time. A recent Medical News Today article highlighted that aging will lower the body’s tolerance for alcohol, leading to problems for the individual who has preferred alcoholic beverages too much for too long.

This is especially true for older individuals also on medication, dealing with health conditions or those who lose control over the amount of alcohol ingested. According to the director of the NIH Senior Health National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, older adults can experience slurred speech and lack of coordination more quickly than when they were younger.

A recent report from this organization explains just how much alcohol an older person can consume without putting themselves at risk. According to the organization, more than 70 percent of seniors search for health and medical information when they go online, making this a prime destination for information that warns against excessively consuming alcohol.

According to the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, roughly 40 percent of Americans over the age of 65 consume alcohol, yet the majority of these individuals do not have a problem with drinking. Among those who do have a problem with their alcohol consumption, they are more likely to be male.

As the body ages, the ability to metabolize alcohol slows in comparison with a younger individual. In addition, the alcohol stays in the body of the older individual much longer than the younger. The body of the older drinker will have a higher percentage of alcohol in the blood (when equal amounts are consumed for equal weight) due to the lower amount of water in the elderly body.