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A high intake of alcohol may blunt the body's ability
to respond appropriately to stress, results of a study in lab animals
suggest. The investigators exposed rats to an alcohol-containing vapor
for up to 6 hours a day for 8 days. The alcohol exposure resulted in an
abnormally low levels of a key stress hormone, corticotropin-releasing
factor (CRF). CRF is produced by the brain's hypothalamus and helps trigger
the body's reaction to stress. Rats exposed to a stressor, such as an
injected toxin or light electric shock, showed a blunted stress response,
namely less reaction in their hormonal and nervous systems, if they were
first exposed to alcohol. An impaired stress response is believed to affect
several body systems, including the ability of the immune system to fight
infection and of brain cells to learn and remember, according to the researchers.
People who abuse alcohol have all kinds of health-related problems. The
study shows that the body loses part of its ability to respond to additional
stressors. Alcoholics may therefore become unable to activate their stress
axis appropriately when they are faced with a challenge, and that can
be damaging.
Alcoholism: Clinical &
Experimental Research 2000;24:110-122.
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