Booze May Help Head Injuries

Our happy hour fact to amaze your drinking buddies with.

People with alcohol in their bloodstream are less likely to die of brain trauma.

A study of 38,000 moderate-to-severe head injuries -- the largest of its kind -- found that those who suffer trauma after drinking have significantly higher survival rates. Researchers speculate that this is because alcohol keeps down the swelling that often leads to deadly "secondary brain injuries," and that one day emergency workers may provide doses of alcohol to head-trauma victims.

There are caveats. Mainly, alcohol is also a major cause of head injuries. Experts have cautioned against promoting the study on the basis that it may be used by some as an excuse to drink more.

Too late. You had us at "booze treats injuries."

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