> wrote in message
news
> On Sat, 6 Dec 2003 02:14:16 -0500, "Sydney" >
> wrote:
>
> >Alcohol shrinks brain & no stroke benefits
> >
> >An interesting study found that low to moderate drinking may cause a loss
of
> >brain tissue in middle-age people. The researchers also found that such
> >alcohol consumption does not lower the risk of a stroke, contradicting
> >findings from previous studies:
> >
> >http://go.jitbot.com/wife-overhit
> >
> >So much for my daily glass of wine. :-(
> >
> >-- Sydney
> >
> " Ding said researchers cannot make a definitive cause-and-effect link
> between drinking and brain atrophy because the MRIs were done only
> once during the study and because they found only a small reduction in
> tissue."
>
>
> Clink!
>
Also, don't forget the study relied on self-reporting about alcohol
consumption. That's a huge limitation considering how likely it is heavy
drinkers lie and understate their consumption. And obviously, no causal link
was made. So, was drinking the cause or result? What other confounding
factors are there?

I wouldn't toss the study for these reasons. Like most research it provides
a clue, a piece to the puzzle. With enough studies on a subject a clear idea
usually begins to develop, but it takes time.