--- Phosphor <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> are the other factors unique to alcohol? certainly
> not. the brain uses
> alcohol for fuel preferentially even over glucose.
> So we need more evidence
> that there is a unique link. If someone can supply
> it I'm happy to agree
> with it.

I think the brain cell loss thing is a bit overstated.
I know people say that every time you inhale helium to
get a funny voice, you lose thousands of brain cells
or something along those lines. I don't have the
figures though, but every day we lose tons of brain
cells due to oxidation or simply to physical injury,
i.e. shaking your head. But we have so many brain
cells that these small insults aren't really that
important unless we live to the age of maybe 1,000.
It's really the strokes that mess up our brains. I
think alcoholics can have brain problems but it's
principally because of liver failure that leads to
brain swelling.

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