A study shows that brain damage caused by alcohol consumption may be counteracted with regular exercise. According to research results, damage of the brain's white matter wasn't linked to heavy alcohol consumption among those who committed to exercise. Among those who didn't exercise often, the brain's white matter was damaged relative to heavy alcohol drinking.
Cables in the brain serve as a means of allowing different regions to send messages. White matter is responsible for the construction of these cables. Damage to the white matter from heavy alcohol use can affect the brain's communication process.
"White matter is not moving messages between areas of the brain as efficiently as normal," Hollis Karoly, study researcher of the Colorado University at Boulder's psychology and neuroscience department said. Prior studies found that excessive alcohol consumption damages white matter in the brain, while regular exercise had positive effects on the brain. Studying the connection between both "was a logical next step," Karoly said.
For the study, 60 participants were questioned about their alcohol consumption after undergoing brain scans. The responses varied: some consumed no alcohol within a two-month period and others had over 300 drinks during the same timeframe. Exercise habits of the participants ranged from no exercise within a three-month period to a total of 8 hours of exercise per week.
Results of the study indicating that the brain's white matter showed no damaging effect among people who exercised regularly should not encourage those people to go on an alcohol binge. Heavy drinking takes a toll on all organs within the body. According to Karoly, more research is required to determine if the results of the study applied to people diagnosed with alcohol disorders.
