Alcohol would have analgesic properties and could replace codeine, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal The Journal of Pain. However, before a treatment without side effects is put in place, alcohol should not be consumed to excess.
Researchers at the University of Greenwick (UK) carried out a meta-analysis of 18 studies on the effects of alcohol on pain. They found that 2 pints of beer would reduce the pain by a quarter.
If the blood alcohol level reaches approximately 0.08 grams per liter of blood, the consumer can slightly increase “their pain tolerance threshold” and thus “reduce slightly or even considerably the intensity of their pain”
“Alcohol can thus be compared to opioid drugs such as codeine“, explains Dr. Trevor Thompason who led the study, also pointing out that “the effect was more powerful than that of paracetamol“.
Scientists believe they could create a “perfect” painkiller.
“If we can make a drug without the harmful side effects of alcohol, we could make available a treatment that is more effective than the drugs that exist today.”
Alcohol should not be consumed in excess
The researchers also explained that their results “show that alcohol is an effective analgesic that effectively decreases the sensation of pain, which could explain alcohol abuse in people with persistent pain, despite its potential consequences. for long term health. However, experts remind that the results of this new study do not mean that alcohol is good for us. Indeed, alcohol abuse is a public health problem. According to figures from the World Health Organization, 1 in 5 deaths worldwide is due to the ravages of alcohol.
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