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HEALTH - Teenagers who have known alcoholic beverages tend to be drug users later in life, says a new study.
A 10-year study conducted by researchers from the University of Eastern Finland involving a group of young people aged 13 to 18 years.
The teens are distinguished in the category of heavy drinkers or light drinkers. They also have done a brain scan in 2005, 2010 and 2015.
Heavy drinker category given to adolescents who consume up to three glasses of beer or six glasses of wine once a week. Medium light drinkers only one glass of beer as well as less than 3 glasses of wine per week.
However, none of the adolescents diagnosed with alcohol abuse disorders during the study, so that the teens were assessed in healthy condition.
Unfortunately, despite the apparently healthy adolescents, the study revealed differences "significant" in their brain development.
The teenage heavy drinkers had neurons-nerve cells that transmit information-less in parts of the brain that controls impulses. The same also applies to the number of nerve cells that control the empathy and intuition.
The researchers say, these conditions can make the ability to absorb new information becomes decreases, so does the ability of creativity and the ability to understand other people's feelings.
Thus, adolescents are more prone to engage in substance abuse later in life, either alcohol or other drugs.
Noora Heikkinen, researchers from the University of Eastern Finland, said, "The brain is still not fully developed in adolescence. Our findings strongly indicate that heavy alcohol use can interfere with the process of adolescent brain development."
