Alcohol Nutrition And The Nervous System

Alcohol is the most widely used drug in the world, yet alcoholism remains a serious addiction affecting nearly 20 million Americans. Our current understanding of alcohol's effect on brain structure and related functional damage is being revolutionized by genetic research, basic neuroscience, brain imaging science, and systematic study of cognitive, sensory, and motor abilities. Volume 125 of the Handbook of Clinical Neurology is a comprehensive, in-depth treatise of studies on alcohol and the brain covering the basic understanding of alcohol's effect on the central nervous system, the diagnosis and treatment of alcoholism, and prospect for recovery. The chapters within will be of interest to clinical neurologists, neuropsychologists, and researchers in all facets and levels of the neuroscience of alcohol and alcoholism. The first focused reference specifically on alcohol and the brain Details our current understanding of how alcohol impacts the central nervous system Covers clinical and social impact of alcohol abuse disorders and the biomedical consequences of alcohol abuse Includes section on neuroimaging of neurochemical markers and brain function

The research literature on the impact of alcohol on the brain has seen a rapid expansion in recent years. Alcohol and the Adult Brain presents an up-to-date overview of some of the issues relevant to understanding and working with people with cognitive impairment as a result of chronic alcohol use. One issue causing barriers to effective treatment and care is the stigma associated with alcohol dependence, resulting in the belief that difficulties associated with alcohol related brain damage (ARBD) are ‘self-inflicted’. Cognitive changes resulting from alcohol excess and poor nutrition can directly affect an individual’s ability to motivate themselves, make decisions, and make the informed choices that underlie behaviour change. Attitudes held by professionals, reinforced by societal norms, that a person is ‘choosing to drink’ and ‘not motivated to engage with treatment’, in combination with the often subtle cognitive deficits associated with ARBD, can result in a lack of timely intervention, with enormous personal, social and economic cost. The chapters in this book set ARBD in a social and cultural context, provide discussion of the difficulties in definition and diagnosis, and outline the structural brain changes and neuropsychological deficits associated with chronic alcohol use. The book provides an overview of recent research on ARBD, including impairments associated with Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, and discusses up to date recommendations for managing and working with this complex and varied disorder. Alcohol and the Adult Brain will be essential for students and researchers working with ARBD and for practitioners in a range of health, social care and voluntary settings.

Caffeine in Food and Dietary Supplements is the summary of a workshop convened by the Institute of Medicine in August 2013 to review the available science on safe levels of caffeine consumption in foods, beverages, and dietary supplements and to identify data gaps. Scientists with expertise in food safety, nutrition, pharmacology, psychology, toxicology, and related disciplines; medical professionals with pediatric and adult patient experience in cardiology, neurology, and psychiatry; public health professionals; food industry representatives; regulatory experts; and consumer advocates discussed the safety of caffeine in food and dietary supplements, including, but not limited to, caffeinated beverage products, and identified data gaps. Caffeine, a central nervous stimulant, is arguably the most frequently ingested pharmacologically active substance in the world. Occurring naturally in more than 60 plants, including coffee beans, tea leaves, cola nuts and cocoa pods, caffeine has been part of innumerable cultures for centuries. But the caffeine-in-food landscape is changing. There are an array of new caffeine-containing energy products, from waffles to sunflower seeds, jelly beans to syrup, even bottled water, entering the marketplace. Years of scientific research have shown that moderate consumption by healthy adults of products containing naturally-occurring caffeine is not associated with adverse health effects. The changing caffeine landscape raises concerns about safety and whether any of these new products might be targeting populations not normally associated with caffeine consumption, namely children and adolescents, and whether caffeine poses a greater health risk to those populations than it does for healthy adults. This report delineates vulnerable populations who may be at risk from caffeine exposure; describes caffeine exposure and risk of cardiovascular and other health effects on vulnerable populations, including additive effects with other ingredients and effects related to pre-existing conditions; explores safe caffeine exposure levels for general and vulnerable populations; and identifies data gaps on caffeine stimulant effects.

Fermented Food Beverages in Nutrition presents the proceedings of International Symposium on Fermented Food Beverages in Nutrition convened at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. It focuses on the contributions of alcoholic beverages in nutrition. It discusses the effects of specific alcoholic beverages, such as wine, beer, and certain distilled spirits, in human health. Organized into seven parts, encompassing 31 chapters, the book starts by discussing the history of alcoholic beverages and their nutrient contributions. Part II focuses on fermentation process, its history, biochemistry, nutrient synthesis by yeast, wine fermentation and aging, and beer brewing. Part III discusses the production and consumption trends of beer and wine, with emphasis on the changing attitudes of Americans toward wine consumption. Metabolism and therapeutic application of alcoholic beverages are examined in part IV. Discussions include role of alcoholic beverages in gerontology and ketogenesis, and the effect of alcoholic beverage incorporation into therapeutic diets. Part V highlights the effects of misuse and abuse of alcoholic beverages in various human body systems, including gastrointestine, pancreas, liver, and cardiovascular and nervous systems, as well as in cancer development and offspring effects during prenatal alcohol exposure. Parts VI and VII discuss the use of miniature swine as model for the study of human alcoholism and socioeconomic aspects of alcohol abuse. With the aim of bringing together existing factual knowledge concerning nutrition and health contributions of alcoholic beverages, this book is ideal for food scientists, nutritionists, dieticians, and researchers.

The report provides an overview of alcohol consumption and harms in relation to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Chapter 1) presents global strategies action plans and monitoring frameworks (Chapter 2) gives detailed information on: the consumption of alcohol in populations (Chapter 3); the health consequences of alcohol consumption (Chapter 4); and policy responses at national level (Chapter 5). In its final chapter 6 the imperative for reducing harmful use of alcohol in a public health perspective is presented. In addition the report contains country profiles for WHO Member States and appendices with statistical annexes a description of the data sources and methods used to produce the estimates and references.