United Nations of Beer

Brain Cells, Omega 3 and Beer

by John Doe
(Chicago, IL)

Brain Cells, Omega 3 and Beer

It is widely believed that alcohol kills brain cells. Actually, I read that the consumption of alcohol destroys the fat cells surrounding the brain cells, hence the craving for fatty foods late night or the next morning.

My question is; Can you take large amounts of Omega 3 fatty acids prior to alcohol consumption, or the next day, to reverse the effect of alcohol destroying brain cells? Am I way off base?

The Beer Doctor says:

It is one of the most important topics which have been in discussion between health professionals and beer drinkers. The fact is beer, or any other alcohol, has a negative effect on the central nervous system; this includes the brain, spinal cord and peripheral neurons.

Alcohol acts as a depressant of the central nervous system, meaning it acts as a tranquilizer or a mild anesthetic. Alcohol is not digested like other foods; instead it is absorbed directly to the bloodstream. 20 per cent is absorbed through the stomach walls, 75 per cent through intestinal mucosa and 5 per cent through buccal mucosa (your cheeks).

Alcohol dilutes itself in the water volume of the body in order to travel through the bloodstream. The organs which have high blood supply are more vulnerable for the negative effects of alcohol, including the brain and liver.

The effect of alcohol on the central nervous system depends on the level of alcohol consumed. The initial effect of a small amount of alcohol is to make a person feel more relaxed or less anxious.

More alcohol will result in intoxication, where the person who has consumed alcohol will start to stagger, lose co-ordination, the speech becomes slurred, they are thoroughly disoriented and confused.

When a large amount of alcohol is consumed, it results in alcohol poisoning, where the person may vomit and experience seizures; breathing centers are depressed, resulting in breathing becoming slow; dangerously low blood sugars will aggravate the seizures and eventually leads to death.

Alcohol affects different parts of the nervous system. Effects of alcohol on the cerebellum worsen motor skills. The cerebellum is the part of the brain which receives information from visual and equilibrium neuronal pathways.

Long-term alcohol use damages the neuronal pathways, disrupting the information exchange between the cerebellum and other parts of brain.

The direct effect of alcohol on the neurons (highly specialized cells which generate and conduct impulses) is to alter the basic structure of the cell and distort the electrical transmission between the neurons. Alcohol has also been implicated as a direct toxin which results in atrophy of the brain.

Alcohol is also an important factor in the developing of many syndromes which affect the anatomical structure of the brain and the physiological function of the central nervous syndrome. To name a few syndromes:

Central Pontine Myelinolysis (CPM)
Midline Cerebellar Degeneration
Alcoholic peripheral neuropathy
Wernicke's Encephalopathy
Marchiafava Bignami Disease

Now coming to omega 3 fatty acids, these are essential fatty acids, as they are required by the human body but cannot be manufactured by the body.

The brain cells or the neurons have a sheath around them; these membranes are mainly made up of omega 3 fatty acids. For the proper working of neurons, the membrane is essential and in some research it has been shown that additional omega 3 supplements have been effective to decrease atrophy of the brain (like senile atrophy).

With this knowledge, I can tell you that omega 3 will be helpful, but the extent to which it might decrease the negative effects of alcohol on the brain still remains unanswered.

My conclusion is that the damage to the brain by alcohol is multi-factorial and omega 3 fatty acids alone will not be sufficient to reverse or stop these effects.

So the best advice would be drink sensibly. Moderate consumption of beer is advised; indulging in binge drinking or regular consumption of alcohol is always injurious to your health.

If you have any more doubts, tell me them and I will try to answer them.