For those of you who are 21 and over, you may have heard that a glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away. For those who are younger, my sincerest apologies—you’ll have to settle with apples for now. It has become a well-known fact that drinking wine in moderation can keep you heart-healthy since the antioxidants found in red wine can help prevent heart disease. However, wine may not be the only type of alcoholic beverage that provides some sort of health benefit.
A recent study conducted by Dr. Diaz-Cruz of the Comprehensive Longitudinal Investigation of Multiple Sclerosis at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (CLIMB) has shown that the moderate consumption of 80-proof alcohol may help lessen the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurological disease that affects 2.3 million people worldwide. While it is unclear how MS develops, it is known that the disease occurs when there are damages to myelin in the central nervous system. Myelin coats the ends of neurons and helps increase the speed of impulse propagation for efficient communication within the central nervous system. Damages to myelin, therefore, interfere with the transmissions of nerve signals between the brain and the spinal cord, as well as to other parts of the body. This delayed communication can cause disabilities such as memory loss and the lack of coordination, symptoms that many MS patients experience.
Image Source: James F. Dean
In Dr. Diaz-Cruz’s study, MS patients were given questionnaires concerning their drinking habits. They answered questions about the frequency of their alcohol consumption and their preferred alcoholic beverage. The patients’ answers were then compared to their disease conditions. Scores on the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and the Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (MSSS) were also considered in order to determine the severity of each patient’s disease condition. Those whose preferred drink was 80-proof alcohol, such as vodka and rum, were found to have lower scores for both EDSS and MSSS. Dr. Diaz-Cruz and his colleagues discovered that among the patients who favored 80-proof alcohol, an increase of one serving of the alcohol per week was associated with a 31% reduction in the chances of having a one point increase in their EDSS score.
Although the study was adjusted for age, gender, disease duration, and other aspects, one should be a little wary of the study’s findings, since patient-filled questionnaires are not the most reliable sources of information. Further investigation into the correlation between 80-proof alcohol and MS disabilities must be conducted before we can raise a glass of vodka, but cheers to hoping!
Feature Image Source: Vodka by Andy Chow
