The experiment, 'in January teetotaler' is good for your health - Reuters Health

(Reuters) – A ‘in January teetotaler’, ie a period of abstinence from alcohol after the excesses of the holiday season, it might be more of a rest for the body and soul. And ‘as reported’ New Scientist ‘, publishing the results of an experiment commissioned the team to Rajiv Jalan Institute for Liver and Digestive Health University College London Medical School, he feels for the first time as giving up wine, beer or vodka for a month is a true cure, at least for the short term health. It is in fact, reduce weight, cholesterol and blood sugar, with beneficial effects on parameters such as sleep quality or the ability to concentrate. In the liver, there are over 500 vital processes, such as the digestion of food, detoxification and maintenance of hormonal balance. In 2009, of the 11,575 deaths from liver disease in the UK, more than one-third was attributed to the consumption of alcohol. But most of what we know about the health of the liver comes from studies of people with chronic diseases, many of which are alcoholics. Very few studies so far have focused on liver function in apparently healthy people. The project carried out by New Scientist “is on a small scale, but according Jalan could yield clues as to the effects of abstinence in the short term,” it said in the online journal. On October 5, and then, 14 members of the staff of New Scientist, who define themselves as drinkers ‘normal’, they went to the Royal Free Hospital in London. They responded to questionnaires on drinking habits, then they have performed ultrasound to measure the amount of fat in the liver. Finally, samples were taken and analyzed blood levels of chemicals associated with metabolic liver. For the next five weeks, 10 editors have never drank alcohol, while the other 4 have continued to follow their normal habits. On November 9, they returned to the hospital for repeat testing. “You will be very excited about the results I am going to read you,” he anticipated at the end of the study Jalan its ‘guinea pigs’. First of all, the scientist has revealed that there were no significant changes in any of the parameters measured in the four people who have stopped drinking. While the changes there have been, and how, for all 10 ‘abstainers for a month’. Well, the fatty liver syndrome has declined on average by 15% and almost 20% in some volunteers. A very significant, because the accumulation of fat in the liver “is a well known ‘spy’ can cause liver damage and inflammation,” says the expert. Again, the levels of glucose in the blood of abstainers decreased by 23% on average, and was lost about 1.5 kg in weight. The total blood cholesterol, major risk factor for heart disease, fell by almost 5%. But the benefits were not only at the physical level: the feedback on the quality of sleep is improved by just over 10%, while those on the ability of concentration of 18%. The only downside is that people have reported having fewer social contacts in this period ‘alcohol-free’. “The experiment – please note – gives no indication on how long the improvements persist: we do not know whether it is 15 days or 6 months., But lays the foundation for larger studies.”