RE: HEALTH: Caffeinol limits stroke damage

From: gts (gts_2000@yahoo.com)
Date: Fri Apr 11 2003 - 11:18:08 MDT

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    Caffeine upregulates cAMP, which may help prevent apoptosis by, if I
    remember correctly, upregulating Brain Derived Growth Factor (BDGF).
    Upregulation of cAMP is thought to be part of the mechanism by which
    caffeine and most antidepressants lead to increased volume of the
    hippocampus.

    As to why caffeine might not work alone: caffeine also has a
    vasoconstrictive effect which in ischemic stroke would be very undesirable,
    but this effect might be offset by the vasodilator and anti-platelet
    aggregation effects of ethanol.

    Epidemiological studies suggest very strongly that moderate alcohol
    consumption (one or two drinks per day) increases life-expectancy in humans.

    Ethanol is also thought to have some mild antioxidant properties taken
    alone, which may or may not contribute to increased life-expectancy.

    Among other things ethanol acts as an antagonist at certain subtypes of the
    NMDA receptor, which would in theory inhibit the massive excitotoxic damage
    that normally occurs in the hours following ischemic stroke.

    Just my speculations.

    Reminds me: I attended traffic school a few weeks ago to take care of a
    speeding ticket. The retired state trooper told us that drinking coffee
    before driving drunk only makes one into a wide-awake drunk-driver. Perhaps
    I'll write to inform him that it may also offer protection against the
    damage caused by ischemic stroke. :)

    -gts



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