Moderate alcohol consumption may elevate testosterone, reduce arthritis risk
Kofi
defects in carnitine transport are linked to arthritis and other
autoimmune conditions. Note that heavy alcohol consumption can have the
opposite effect on testosterone levels.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10815.html
Alcohol may offer protection against arthritis
22:00 18 December 2006
NewScientist.com news service
Roxanne Khamsi
In addition to boosting heart health, moderate alcohol consumption might
also protect against some types of arthritis, a preliminary mouse study
suggests.
Mice that drank diluted ethanol were about 40% less likely to develop
the autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis than those given water
instead. Researchers say that more studies are needed to understand
exactly why alcohol has this effect and whether it also protects against
arthritis in humans.
Andrej Tarkowski at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and colleagues
injected male mice with a type of collagen to induce rheumatoid
arthritis a disease in which the immune system starts attacking the
bodyąs joints. Some of the animals were then given water to drink in the
following weeks, while other received 10% ethanol in their drinking
water.
Scientists monitored the progress of the animals over the course of the
following six weeks and looked for signs of joint problems and swelling.
While all of the mice that drank tap water developed rheumatoid
arthritis within 42 days, only 60% of those given diluted ethanol had
the disease.
Immune trigger
Mice given the alcohol also had higher levels of the hormone
testosterone, the researchers report. The team links this rise in
testosterone to a decrease in the activity of the protein NF-Kappa-B,
which is known to trigger the immune system to boost inflammation.
Previous research in humans has shown that alcohol consumption can
depress the immune system. In fact, heavy drinkers are at greater risk
of catching illnesses such as pneumonia and bacterial infections.
Experts say the short-term effects of alcohol consumption seen in the
mice warrant follow-up research.
This is an interesting and important paper, says John Hardin, chief
scientific officer at the Arthritis Foundation in Atlanta, Georgia, US.
To my knowledge this is the first time that anyone has looked at the
ability of alcohol to suppress inflammatory arthritis.
Severe disability
But Hardin warns it is too soon to say whether people should consume
alcohol to prevent against arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic condition that can lead to severe
disability and pain. It is estimated to affect as much as 1% of the US
population, according to the Arthritis Foundation.
Patients may receive steroids which suppress inflammation, to help ease
symptoms, but there is no cure. Some studies have found that not smoking
and increasing vitamin D intake can prevent against rheumatoid arthritis.
Journal reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (DOI:
10.1073/pnas.0608620104)
Paul Antonik Wakfer
Together with Olafur's recent post of a study suggesting that moderate
alcohol might be a hormetic stimulus akin to CR and exercise, this has
caused me to reverse my long-time thinking that any use of alcohol is
negative for a person already well protected by diet, exercise and
supplements. I am now strongly considering starting to have a small
glass of one of the healthier dry red wines with dinner nightly.
I will have to see whether I can do this and still accomplish any work
after dinner :-)
--Paul Wakfer
MoreLife for the rational - http://morelife.org
Reality based tools for more life in quantity and quality
The Self-Sovereign Individual Project - http://selfsip.org
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Kofi wrote:
> Testosterone is a carnitine transporter and, as I've recently posted,
> defects in carnitine transport are linked to arthritis and other
> autoimmune conditions. Note that heavy alcohol consumption can have the
> opposite effect on testosterone levels.
>
> http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10815.html
>
>
> Alcohol may offer protection against arthritis
>
> 22:00 18 December 2006
> NewScientist.com news service
> Roxanne Khamsi
>
>
>
> In addition to boosting heart health, moderate alcohol consumption might
> also protect against some types of arthritis, a preliminary mouse study
> suggests.
>
> Mice that drank diluted ethanol were about 40% less likely to develop
> the autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis than those given water
> instead. Researchers say that more studies are needed to understand
> exactly why alcohol has this effect and whether it also protects against
> arthritis in humans.
>
> Andrej Tarkowski at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and colleagues
> injected male mice with a type of collagen to induce rheumatoid
> arthritis a disease in which the immune system starts attacking the
> body¹s joints. Some of the animals were then given water to drink in the
Kofi
"Paul Antonik Wakfer" <pa...@morelife.org> wrote:
> Thanks for posting this interesting report, Kofi.
> Together with Olafur's recent post of a study suggesting that moderate
> alcohol might be a hormetic stimulus akin to CR and exercise, this has
> caused me to reverse my long-time thinking that any use of alcohol is
> negative for a person already well protected by diet, exercise and
> supplements. I am now strongly considering starting to have a small
> glass of one of the healthier dry red wines with dinner nightly.
> I will have to see whether I can do this and still accomplish any work
> after dinner :-)
I intend to keep avoiding it. I don't think there's a dose with which
the nervous system is ever happy. I posted this more for the link
between carnitine transport (testosterone) and arthritis. I suspect
there's also a mu opioid/beta-endorphin connection.
rj...@my-deja.com
Paul Antonik Wakfer wrote:
> I will have to see whether I can do this and still accomplish any work
> after dinner :-)
>
> --Paul Wakfer
Start with a shotglass, about one ounce. A full 8 ounces is a major
assault on your system until your enzyme levels have had time to
adjust.
Also, you might disolve some resveratrol in it. :-)
--Richard
Paul Antonik Wakfer
> Paul Antonik Wakfer wrote:
>
> > I will have to see whether I can do this and still accomplish any work
> > after dinner :-)
> >
> > --Paul Wakfer
>
> Start with a shotglass, about one ounce. A full 8 ounces is a major
> assault on your system until your enzyme levels have had time to
> adjust.
Good advice, Richard. Like I always tell everyone who starts taking new
supplements or other chemicals (except drugs for immediate acute
needs), always start low and ramp up to your target dosage over a
period of several weeks.
> Also, you might disolve some resveratrol in it. :-)
Also a good thought, If/when I start drinking wine, I will try doing
that with the Orchid very pure resveratrol that is soon to arrive.