A study has found that teenagers with habit of uncontrolled drinking are likely to develop disorders such as depression and anxiety in long run. An experiment, performed on an adolescent rat, has led scientists to such conclusion. Nervous system was found altered when a rat was exposed to binge amounts of alcohol. Finding of study shows that binge alcohol drinking disrupts a chemical reaction which is responsible for production of hormone that regulates stress.
researchers have learned that such changes in stress regulating hormones can result in mood disorders in adulthood. Although the finding has been concluded from an experiment on animal and is not directly applicable to human being, excess intake of alcohol is long been known to closely relate to lead mental disorders. “In brain a connection, between two nerves, is believed to be responsible for normal function. In future this connection gets damaged because of drinking alcohol” said senior researcher Toni Pak. Corticosterone, a stress regulating hormone, was focus of the study.
Scientists examined production of Corticosterone within rat in presence of alcohol. Researchers gave alcohol dose to adolescent rat in cycle of eight days. Binging alcohol for 3 days followed by 2 days off and so on. Rats were given alcohol by injection until the amount of alcohol level is reached to 0.15%-0.2% in blood. Some rats were given saline injection. Rats, when grew up to adults, exposed to three different doses i.e. binge-drinking alcohol, injection of saline and single time alcohol injection. Results of the study denote that drinking alcohol from the young age, disrupts the system which produces stress hormones.
Teenagers are advised by physicians and health care professionals to avoid drinking alcohol before puberty. Apart from mental disorders, alcoholism is also believed to cause impotence.
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