ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, October 16, 1996 TAG: 9610160011
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB CONDOR KNIGHT-RIDDER/TRIBUNE
When Stephen Braun was participating in a six-week fellowship at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass., he attended daily neuroscience lectures about how the brain works. One morning, he realized the scientist leading the discussion was, as usual, sipping a cup of coffee.
``He would stand up there talking about how different molecules and substances affected nerve cells in the brain,'' recalled Braun, a science journalist who produces educational videos and CD-ROM projects for the New England Research Institutes in Boston. ``It finally occurred to me that the caffeine from his coffee cup was affecting his brain's nerve cells as he spoke.''
A simple observation, but it triggered an avalanche of ideas inside Braun's own cranium. The result is ``Buzz: The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine'' (Oxford University Press), a new book that dispels several popular myths and raises important health issues.
Some examples: Women get drunk faster than men not because they are smaller (and their blood has higher alcohol concentrations) or have different body fat composition but because alcohol-destroying enzymes found in the human stomach lining work better in men than women for an as-yet undetermined reason. A ``nightcap'' can in fact disrupt sleep, especially during the second half of rest. Contrary to the naysayers, caffeine is able to counteract some of alcohol's effects.
Braun's subject is certainly relevant. A 1994 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed about 80 percent of American adults consume caffeine in some form each day. Other statistics show that nearly as many people get their caffeine from soft drinks as from coffee.
What's more, the federal government estimates that roughly 47 percent of women in the U.S. and 68 percent of men drink alcohol at least occasionally.
It's likely most Americans believe that consuming alcoholic beverages ``kills'' brain cells. Not true, said Braun. He said the myth derives from old research that seemed to indicate that the brains of alcoholics were smaller than those of non-alcoholics. A 1993 study showed no significant difference in overall neurons or neuron density.
That's not to say that alcohol doesn't affect the brain. Braun makes it clear, from interviews with scientists and documented references from research literature, that alcohol has a more multifaceted impact on the brain than previously believed.
Conventional wisdom simply positions alcohol as a depressant that wreaks havoc with many body functions and coordination. True enough when alcohol is imbibed at moderate to high amounts; it slows down the central nervous system.
Yet new research reveals that alcohol can mimic the actions of other drugs such as stimulants (cocaine and amphetamines), tranquilizers (Valium) and endorphin facilitators (opium). All can be pleasurable in some fashion but also highly addictive.
``Alcohol is a regular pharmacy in a bottle,'' said Braun. ``It is a stimulating, depressing, mood-altering drug that leaves practically no circuit or system of the brain untouched.''
Caffeine, on the other hand, interacts with a single chemical in the brain. It neutralizes adenosine, which normally decreases brain neurotransmitter activity and makes us feel drowsy. This makes coffee an ``indirect'' stimulant, said Braun, having no power of its own but allowing other natural brain stimulants such as dopamine, endorphins and glutamate to rev up your day.
A salient point for vitamin-takers: Since scientists contend that caffeine only binds to adenosine, there is no documented evidence it can block absorption of a morning multiple vitamin or other nutritional supplements.
Consequently, like the scientists he consulted for the book, Braun expresses more concern about alcohol use than caffeine consumption. For one thing, he said researchers discourage pregnant women from consuming alcohol during pregnancy but most scientists and doctors allow that one or two cups of coffee each day seem to have no adverse effects. Another issue is the widely reported health benefits associated with alcohol, notably red wine but including all spirits.
``Moderate consumption of alcohol is strongly correlated with a reduction in heart disease,'' said Braun. ``That means two standard drinks per day [one drink equaling 12 ounces of beer, one five-ounce glass of wine or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor] for men and one for women. But the protective effect comes with slight increases in risks for breast cancer, bowel cancer and liver disease, along with an increased chance of alcoholism, for anyone who starts drinking for health reasons.''
Caffeine is less potent to the brain, said Braun.
``Moderate coffee drinking can mean anywhere from 100 to 400 milligrams per day depending on how it affects the person,'' he said. ``You can pretty much have your double latte or two medium-size cups of coffee without doing any real harm to the brain or body.''
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