- Teenagers may be damaging their bodies and brains by
binge drinking, US scientists said after tests showed adolescent rats exposed
to high doses of alcohol suffered impaired growth and altered brain function.
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- The results were a warning to teenagers, the study's
head, Dr Douglas Matthews from the University of Memphis, said. "These
findings suggest adolescence is a unique developmental period where exposure
to high alcohol levels can produce changes in biological functions that
might have long-lasting implications."
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- The study defined "binge drinking" as five
or more drinks in one session. The 30-day-old rats were exposed to an alcohol
consumption pattern called chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE).CIE exposure
produced a high level of alcohol tolerance in the rats which in some cases
lasted into adulthood. It hampered normal growth, as measured by weight
gain, and altered liver function.
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- Brain function was also affected, the study, published
in the journalAlcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, found.
Professor Linda Patia Spear, from Binghamton University, New York, said
little was known about the effects of alcohol on teenagers. Available data
was mixed, and studies often did not include adult comparison groups.
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- Dr Matthews' team now plans to study the effects of CIE
exposure on the brain.
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- © 2003 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd
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- http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health/story.jsp?story=453401
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