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LONDON (Reuters) – Smoking and drinking together cause double damage to the cells of the central nervous system, a recent Australian study said.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Adelaide and published in the latest issue of the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience.
Smoking causes many chemical changes, oxidative stress and inflammation of the brain, and the consumption of alcohol can have similar effects.
To monitor this effect, the team followed a group of mice, divided them into two groups, gave alcohol and tobacco together for 28 days, while the second group did not drink alcohol or did not breathe tobacco smoke.
After comparing the brains of both groups, the researchers found that rats treated with tobacco and alcohol increased levels of cytokines, a group of proteins that stimulate brain inflammation compared to other groups .
The researchers also found that the first group decreased neurotransmitter levels in the brain, a growth factor that helps existing neurons survive and stimulates the growth of new cells in the brain.
"These results suggest that alcoholics who smoke are more likely to cause significant damage to neurons in the brain," said Dr. Alana Hansen, head of the research team.
"According to the National Institute of Alcoholism, many smokers consume too much alcohol and vice versa.Therefore, studying their common effects on the central nervous system may allow to obtain valuable information to avoid significant risks to the brain of the person. "
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), alcoholism is a risk factor for many years of life due to illness and disability and poses the greatest threat to human life in middle-income countries. Where about half of the world's population lives.
According to the latest report, tobacco kills an estimated 6 million people in the Eastern Mediterranean Region each year, including more than 5 million smokers and about 600,000 non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke.
She added that smoking is one of the leading causes of many chronic diseases, including cancer, lung disease, heart disease and blood vessels.
(Anatolia)
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