Lasting effects
Mandyam thinks that this degeneration could have long-term effects and provide a mechanism for why bingeing teens are more likely to develop alcohol dependence as adults.
A new policy to combat under-age drinking was launched earlier this month by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). It is based on results from earlier studies which showed that 41 per cent of children who start drinking regularly at 12 years of age develop lifelong dependency, compared to 11 per cent of people who start drinking at 18."The findings support the US Surgeon General's efforts to delay drinking initiation among young people," says Ellen Witt of the US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in Bethesda, Maryland. "It's also important to recognize that binge drinking may produce adverse consequences on the brain regardless of age."
02 June 2010 by Andy Coghlan
