Dry January: Can alcohol affect your eyes, bones, and perceived reliability?
The first month of the Gregorian Calendar is often marked by a renewed set of hopes and intentions for the year to come. From resolutions on personal and professional growth to plans to implement healthy lifestyle changes, New Year’s resolutions are widespread. Some choose to participate in an event called Dry January, the aim of which is to abstain from all alcohol for the 31 days of January, reaping health and wealth benefits. Below, we bring you three articles about the latest alcohol research, designed to help cement your resolutions or help you learn more about the intoxicant and its broader sociological effects.
Often used to reset one’s relationship with alcohol, Dry January takes place at a time when many of us are keen to focus on our health. The negative effects of alcohol are generally common knowledge, but the extent to which alcohol can impact your health may be surprising. Alcohol-use damages bone turnover, particularly in women, resulting in alcohol-induced bone loss, as well as affecting your vision, leading to early sight loss in alcoholics. Could taking a month off now stave off these complications in the future? Periods of abstinence are a great way to make sure you’re not drinking alcohol at high-risk levels, both during the break and afterwards. Finally, we finish on a different note – does alcohol intoxication make you less reliable as a victim, witness, or suspect? Most legal and police professionals believe this case, but it’s not the whole story. Read on to find out the whole story about each of these topics below.
Alcohol overuse: Cutting to the bone
Building on several decades of research, Dr Martin Ronis, a Professor at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans, explores the effects of alcohol on bone turnover. His current research aims to better understand the molecular basis for the toxic effects of alcohol, particularly in women, to uncover vital therapeutic targets to prevent bone loss. As alcohol-induced bone loss shares many features in common with bone loss during menopause and ageing, his work provides fundamental insights into common pathways underlying the regulation of bone growth and turnover.
Electrical eye activity reveals early sight damage in alcohol addicts
People addicted to alcohol often suffer loss of vision through damage to the light receptors and nerves in the eyes. Scientists have previously shown interest in measuring the electric currents in the brain related to vision. Still, the information gathered has not yet impacted the prevention of further sight loss. Professor Haolin Zhang at the Beijing University of Technology, and Ms Xin Xie at Peking University Third Hospital, China, have been looking into a more holistic way of assessing electric eye activity. The researchers’ approach has great clinical potential.
Eyewitness testimony: How much alcohol is too much?
It is widely believed that alcohol-intoxicated witnesses, victims, and suspects are not credible and should not be trusted in legal investigations. However, the research by Dr Angelica Hagsand and colleagues has shown that this may not be the whole story. Their research findings could have important implications for the police and other legal organisations to understand when witnesses can be considered reliable.