GOSTO DE CERVEJA DÁ VONTADE DE BEBER MAIS

 

Gosto de cerveja dá vontade de beber mais

Um estudo feito na Universidade de Indiana, nos Estados Unidos, mostrou que basta os homens sentirem o gosto da cerveja para quererem beber mais, sem nem sequer terem sentido os efeitos do álcool. A pesquisa envolveu 49 homens que foram avaliados por tomografias computadorizadas enquanto recebiam sprays de diferentes bebidas em suas bocas. Foram oferecidas pequenas quantidades de água, isotônico e cerveja.

Quando foi fornecido o spray de cerveja, houve uma liberação maior de dopamina no cérebro dos voluntários – um dos hormônios responsáveis pelo bem-estar. A sensação de prazer foi ainda maior entre as pessoas com um histórico familiar de alcoolismo. Além disso, antes mesmo de o álcool poder causar efeitos inebriantes, os homens tinham uma propensão maior a dizer que desejavam tomar uma bebida alcoólica.

 

Fonte:http://drjairobouer.blog.uol.com.br/arch2013-04-21_2013-04-27.html

 

Original Article

Neuropsychopharmacology (15 April 2013) | doi:10.1038/npp.2013.91

http://www.nature.com/npp/journal/vaop/naam/pdf/npp201391a.pdf

Beer Flavor Provokes Striatal Dopamine Release in Male Drinkers: Mediation by Family History of Alcoholism

Brandon G Oberlin, Mario Dzemidzic, Stella M Tran, Christina M Soeurt, Daniel S Albrecht, Karmen K Yoder and David A Kareken

Abstract

Striatal dopamine (DA) is increased by virtually all drugs of abuse, including alcohol. However, drug-associated cues are also known to provoke striatal DA transmission- a phenomenon linked to the motivated behaviors associated with addiction. To our knowledge, no one has tested if alcohol’s classically-conditioned flavor cues, in the absence of a significant pharmacologic effect, are capable of eliciting striatal dopamine release in humans. Employing positron emission tomography (PET), we hypothesized that beer’s flavor alone can reduce the binding potential of [¹¹C]raclopride (a reflection of striatal DA release) in the ventral striatum, relative to an appetitive flavor control. Forty-nine men, ranging from social to heavy drinking, mean age 25, with a varied family history of alcoholism underwent two [¹¹C]raclopride PET scans: one while tasting beer, and one while tasting Gatorade®. Relative to the control flavor of Gatorade, beer flavor significantly increased self-reported desire to drink, and reduced [¹¹C]raclopride binding potential, indicating that the alcohol-associated flavor cues induced dopamine release. Binding potential reductions were strongest in subjects with first-degree alcoholic relatives. These results demonstrate that alcohol-conditioned flavor cues can provoke ventral striatal dopamine release absent significant pharmacologic effects, and that the response is strongest in subjects with a greater genetic risk for alcoholism. Striatal DA responses to salient alcohol cues may thus be an inherited risk factor for alcoholism.

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