From WebMD Health News
Bill Hendrick
August 26, 2010 — Drinking water before each meal has been shown to help promote weight loss, according to a new study.
Brenda Davy, PhD, an associate professor of nutrition at Virginia Tech and senior author of a new study, says that drinking just two 8-ounce glasses of water before meals helps people melt pounds away.
The study is being presented at the 2010 National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston.
"We are presenting results of the first randomized controlled intervention trial demonstrating that increased water consumption is an effective weight loss strategy," Davy says in a news release.
"We found in earlier studies that middle aged and older people who drank two cups of water right before eating a meal ate between 75 and 90 fewer calories during the meal."
She tells WebMD that many people substitute sweet-tasting calorie-containing beverages for water.
"If you look at research on beverage consumption trends, our average intake of sugar-sweetened beverages has increased dramatically in the past three or four decades," Davy tells WebMD in an email. "So, likely we are drinking other beverages in place of water."
Drinking Water and Weight Loss
Her study included 48 adults between age 55 and 75 who were divided into two groups.
One group drank two cups of water before meals and the other didn't. All participants ate a low-calorie diet throughout the study.
After 12 weeks, water drinkers lost about 15.5 pounds, compared to non-water-drinking dieters, who lost only 11 pounds.
Davy tells WebMD that the study participants drank about 1.5 cups of water per day prior to joining in the study.
Not only were those who drank water before meals more successful after 12 weeks, but they also kept "the weight off for a full year after the weight loss study."
Even better, most water drinkers, followed for an additional 12 months, not only kept weight off but "even lost another 1 to 2 pounds," she tells WebMD.
The message, she says, is clear: "People should drink more water and less sugary, high-calorie drinks."
How Water Aids Weight Loss
She points out that folklore and everyday experience both have suggested that water promotes weight loss, but little scientific information has been offered on the topic.
This doesn't mean that good old H2O is a magic potion, but that drinking water may help people shed pounds for the simple reason that it has no calories and fills up the stomach, making people less hungry.
Davy says water makes people feel fuller, inducing them to eat less food. She also offers good news for those who prefer diet sodas and other drinks with artificial sweeteners, saying such liquid refreshment fills people up, too. But she advises against drinking beverages made tasty with sugar and high fructose corn syrup, which are high in calories.
Davy says no one knows how much water people should drink daily, and that the federal Institute of Medicine says healthy people can let thirst be their guide.
However, she recommends that women drink about nine cups of fluids every day, including water and other beverages, and men about 13 cups.
It is possible, she adds, to drink too much water, which can lead to a rare but serious condition known as water intoxication.
The study was funded by the Institute for Public Health and Water Research, a nonprofit, independent science and education organization.
This study was presented at a medical conference. The findings should be considered preliminary as they have not yet undergone the "peer review" process, in which outside experts scrutinize the data prior to publication in a medical journal.
SOURCES:
News release, American Chemical Society.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Youth Tobacco Use: Downward Trend Is Slowing
From WebMD Health News
Bill Hendrick
August 27, 2010 — Current tobacco use by middle and high school students has declined over the past decade, but this trend has slowed in recent years and more work is needed to combat the problem, the CDC says.
The CDC, reporting in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, says comprehensive anti-tobacco programs need more funding and that the federal government should enforce legislation that requires larger, graphic health warnings on cigarette packages and in advertisements.
Further, broader tobacco-free policies, tobacco tax increases, and advertisement restrictions would help further reduce both youth and adult tobacco use, the report says.
The analysis was based on data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey, a school-based study that collects information on tobacco use and related behaviors. In this study, 22,679 young people participated; they were asked to complete self-administered questionnaires each year from 2000 to 2009.
Besides cigarettes, youths were asked about use in the past month of cigars, smokeless tobacco, pipes, small brown cigarettes wrapped in leaves, called bidis, and clove cigarettes, or kreteks.
Current use was defined as use on at least one occasion in the past 30 days. Experimentation was defined as ever having smoked a cigarette, even a puff or two, but fewer than 100 cigarettes.
Pattern of Tobacco Use Decline
Among other things, the report says that, from 2000 to 2009:
•Prevalence of current tobacco use reported by high school kids declined from 34.5% to 23.9%.
•Prevalence of current cigarette use dropped from 28% to 17.2%.
•Experimentation with tobacco dropped from 39.4% to 30.1%.
•Prevalence of current tobacco use among middle school students declined from 15.1% to 8.2%.
•Prevalence of current cigarette use among middle school kids dropped from 11% to 5.2%.
•Among middle school kids, experimentation with cigarettes declined from 29.8% to 15%.
The report notes that in 2009, some 8.2% of middle school students and 23.9% of those in high school reported they used tobacco in some form.
Decreases from 2006 to 2009 were found only among middle school students for current cigarette use in girls, dropping from 6.4% to 4.7%, and in non-Hispanic whites, from 6.5% to 4.3% in the same years.
Among high school kids, declines were only in girls for current tobacco use, dropping from 21.3% to 18.2%, and in current cigarette use, declining from 18.4% to 14.8%, and in non-Hispanic whites for use of bidis, from 2.6% to 1.7%.
"The general lack of significant change during the shorter period indicates that the current rate of decline in tobacco use is relatively slow," the researchers write.
Cigarette use and overall tobacco use among high school students both remain above target levels, the CDC says.
"The findings from this report suggest further efforts are needed to counter tobacco industry influences on youths," the CDC report says.
"New Food and Drug Administration regulations which prohibit the distribution of free samples of smokeless tobacco to youths and prohibit tobacco brand name sponsorship of any athletic, musical or other social or cultural events are designed to help prevent tobacco use among youths."
Bill Hendrick
August 27, 2010 — Current tobacco use by middle and high school students has declined over the past decade, but this trend has slowed in recent years and more work is needed to combat the problem, the CDC says.
The CDC, reporting in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, says comprehensive anti-tobacco programs need more funding and that the federal government should enforce legislation that requires larger, graphic health warnings on cigarette packages and in advertisements.
Further, broader tobacco-free policies, tobacco tax increases, and advertisement restrictions would help further reduce both youth and adult tobacco use, the report says.
The analysis was based on data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey, a school-based study that collects information on tobacco use and related behaviors. In this study, 22,679 young people participated; they were asked to complete self-administered questionnaires each year from 2000 to 2009.
Besides cigarettes, youths were asked about use in the past month of cigars, smokeless tobacco, pipes, small brown cigarettes wrapped in leaves, called bidis, and clove cigarettes, or kreteks.
Current use was defined as use on at least one occasion in the past 30 days. Experimentation was defined as ever having smoked a cigarette, even a puff or two, but fewer than 100 cigarettes.
Pattern of Tobacco Use Decline
Among other things, the report says that, from 2000 to 2009:
•Prevalence of current tobacco use reported by high school kids declined from 34.5% to 23.9%.
•Prevalence of current cigarette use dropped from 28% to 17.2%.
•Experimentation with tobacco dropped from 39.4% to 30.1%.
•Prevalence of current tobacco use among middle school students declined from 15.1% to 8.2%.
•Prevalence of current cigarette use among middle school kids dropped from 11% to 5.2%.
•Among middle school kids, experimentation with cigarettes declined from 29.8% to 15%.
The report notes that in 2009, some 8.2% of middle school students and 23.9% of those in high school reported they used tobacco in some form.
Decreases from 2006 to 2009 were found only among middle school students for current cigarette use in girls, dropping from 6.4% to 4.7%, and in non-Hispanic whites, from 6.5% to 4.3% in the same years.
Among high school kids, declines were only in girls for current tobacco use, dropping from 21.3% to 18.2%, and in current cigarette use, declining from 18.4% to 14.8%, and in non-Hispanic whites for use of bidis, from 2.6% to 1.7%.
"The general lack of significant change during the shorter period indicates that the current rate of decline in tobacco use is relatively slow," the researchers write.
Cigarette use and overall tobacco use among high school students both remain above target levels, the CDC says.
"The findings from this report suggest further efforts are needed to counter tobacco industry influences on youths," the CDC report says.
"New Food and Drug Administration regulations which prohibit the distribution of free samples of smokeless tobacco to youths and prohibit tobacco brand name sponsorship of any athletic, musical or other social or cultural events are designed to help prevent tobacco use among youths."
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Processed Meat Linked to Increased Risk for Bladder Cancer
From Medscape Medical News
Laurie Barclay, MD
August 2, 2010 — Intake of processed meat and its components is linked to increased risk for bladder cancer, according to the results of the large, prospective National Institutes of Health–AARP Diet and Health Study reported online August 2 in Cancer.
"Meat could be involved in bladder carcinogenesis via multiple potentially carcinogenic meat-related compounds related to cooking and processing, including nitrate, nitrite, heterocyclic amines (HCAs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)," write Leah M. Ferrucci, PhD, from the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland, and colleagues. "The authors comprehensively investigated the association between meat and meat components and bladder cancer."
Among 300,933 men and women who completed a validated food-frequency questionnaire, there were 854 cases of transitional cell bladder cancer identified during 7 years of follow-up. Using quantitative databases of measured values, the investigators estimated intake of nitrate and nitrite from processed meat and HCAs and PAHs from cooked meat, and they calculated total dietary nitrate and nitrite based on literature values.
For the fifth quintile vs the first quintile of red meat consumption, hazard ratio (HR) for bladder cancer was 1.22 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96 - 1.54; P for trend = .07). For the fifth vs first quintile of the HCA 2-amino-1 methyl-6-phenylimidazo(4,5-b)pyridine (PhIP), HR was 1.19 (95% CI, 0.95 - 1.48; P for trend = .06). These HRs showed a borderline statistically significant increased risk for bladder cancer. There were also positive associations in the top quintile for total dietary nitrite (HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.02 - 1.61; P for trend = .06) and nitrate plus nitrite intake from processed meat (HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.00 - 1.67; P for trend = .11).
"These findings provided modest support for an increased risk of bladder cancer with total dietary nitrite and nitrate plus nitrite from processed meat," the study authors write. "Results also suggested a positive association between red meat and PhIP and bladder carcinogenesis."
Limitations of this study include lack of data on urination frequency and bladder infections and only limited data on beverage intake.
"Our findings highlight the importance of studying meat-related compounds to better understand the association between meat and cancer risk," senior author Amanda J. Cross, PhD, also from the National Cancer Institute, said in a news release. "Comprehensive epidemiologic data on meat-related exposures and bladder cancer are lacking; our findings should be followed up in other prospective studies."
The Intramural Research Program of the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, supported this study in part.
Cancer. Published online August 2, 2010.
Laurie Barclay, MD
August 2, 2010 — Intake of processed meat and its components is linked to increased risk for bladder cancer, according to the results of the large, prospective National Institutes of Health–AARP Diet and Health Study reported online August 2 in Cancer.
"Meat could be involved in bladder carcinogenesis via multiple potentially carcinogenic meat-related compounds related to cooking and processing, including nitrate, nitrite, heterocyclic amines (HCAs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)," write Leah M. Ferrucci, PhD, from the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland, and colleagues. "The authors comprehensively investigated the association between meat and meat components and bladder cancer."
Among 300,933 men and women who completed a validated food-frequency questionnaire, there were 854 cases of transitional cell bladder cancer identified during 7 years of follow-up. Using quantitative databases of measured values, the investigators estimated intake of nitrate and nitrite from processed meat and HCAs and PAHs from cooked meat, and they calculated total dietary nitrate and nitrite based on literature values.
For the fifth quintile vs the first quintile of red meat consumption, hazard ratio (HR) for bladder cancer was 1.22 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96 - 1.54; P for trend = .07). For the fifth vs first quintile of the HCA 2-amino-1 methyl-6-phenylimidazo(4,5-b)pyridine (PhIP), HR was 1.19 (95% CI, 0.95 - 1.48; P for trend = .06). These HRs showed a borderline statistically significant increased risk for bladder cancer. There were also positive associations in the top quintile for total dietary nitrite (HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.02 - 1.61; P for trend = .06) and nitrate plus nitrite intake from processed meat (HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.00 - 1.67; P for trend = .11).
"These findings provided modest support for an increased risk of bladder cancer with total dietary nitrite and nitrate plus nitrite from processed meat," the study authors write. "Results also suggested a positive association between red meat and PhIP and bladder carcinogenesis."
Limitations of this study include lack of data on urination frequency and bladder infections and only limited data on beverage intake.
"Our findings highlight the importance of studying meat-related compounds to better understand the association between meat and cancer risk," senior author Amanda J. Cross, PhD, also from the National Cancer Institute, said in a news release. "Comprehensive epidemiologic data on meat-related exposures and bladder cancer are lacking; our findings should be followed up in other prospective studies."
The Intramural Research Program of the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, supported this study in part.
Cancer. Published online August 2, 2010.
University of Colorado Halts Live Liver Transplants After Donor Dies
From Reuters Health Information
DENVER (Reuters) Aug 16 - The University of Colorado has suspended living donor liver transplants following the death of a donor.
"We are conducting an internal review and will also have outside experts in the field do an external review," University of Colorado Hospital spokeswoman Erika Matich said on Friday. "We will make any changes or improvements if needed."
Ryan Arnold, 34, died on Aug. 2 at the Colorado hospital days after donating a portion of his liver to his older brother, Chad, 38, who was suffering from liver failure.
Rod Arnold, another brother, told Reuters that Ryan went into cardiac arrest two days after the surgery, was resuscitated by medical personnel and placed on life support. Testing revealed he had no brain activity and he died two days later.
The University of Colorado has long been at the forefront of liver transplants. Surgeons there conducted the world's first successful cadaver transplant in the early 1960s.
Arnold is the fourth donor to die in the United States following a live liver transplant operation and the second this year.
In May, a donor died at the Lahey Clinic in Massachusetts after undergoing the operation.
Rod Arnold said Chad Arnold is still recovering from the transplant, and that the family wanted people to know that it was a "natural decision" by Ryan to try and save his brother's life.
"Ryan took care of people his whole life," Rod Arnold said of his brother, who leaves behind a wife and three young sons.
DENVER (Reuters) Aug 16 - The University of Colorado has suspended living donor liver transplants following the death of a donor.
"We are conducting an internal review and will also have outside experts in the field do an external review," University of Colorado Hospital spokeswoman Erika Matich said on Friday. "We will make any changes or improvements if needed."
Ryan Arnold, 34, died on Aug. 2 at the Colorado hospital days after donating a portion of his liver to his older brother, Chad, 38, who was suffering from liver failure.
Rod Arnold, another brother, told Reuters that Ryan went into cardiac arrest two days after the surgery, was resuscitated by medical personnel and placed on life support. Testing revealed he had no brain activity and he died two days later.
The University of Colorado has long been at the forefront of liver transplants. Surgeons there conducted the world's first successful cadaver transplant in the early 1960s.
Arnold is the fourth donor to die in the United States following a live liver transplant operation and the second this year.
In May, a donor died at the Lahey Clinic in Massachusetts after undergoing the operation.
Rod Arnold said Chad Arnold is still recovering from the transplant, and that the family wanted people to know that it was a "natural decision" by Ryan to try and save his brother's life.
"Ryan took care of people his whole life," Rod Arnold said of his brother, who leaves behind a wife and three young sons.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Signs Of Cheating - How To Detect An Affair
By: Stefan Kov Signs Of Cheating.
Are the one you love cheating on you? What are some signs of cheating that correlate with a cheater?
I have listed a few of the main and minor signs of cheating that cheaters generally show whether or not they realize it or not. Regardless of how hard a cheater might try to cover up their cheating actions some things just cannot be held back.
1. Once they no longer need sex or makes excuses to not have sex.
2. When they will not enable you access to their computer or they immediately shut down the pc when you walk into the room.
3. Once they suddenly need to work late and have all kinds of new obligations that take them away from home repeatedly or for lengthy durations of time.
4. After they arrive home smelling faintly of perfume/cologne or another particular person's body.
5. Once they arrive home and head straight into the shower or bath.
6. After they suddenly start to deal with you extraordinarily good; more so than usual.
7. After they start to make "kinky" requests or recommend wildly erotic play throughout sex including things you have never completed before. They may additionally present an increased interest in sex or sexual things, including porn.
8. Her: When she gets spiffed up and clothes provocative to "go grocery buying" or to "get her hair done." She may also present up with a sudden change of hair style. Him: When he showers, shaves (cologne, deodorant, etc.) and dresses up more than standard to "go out with his buddies" or to "go fishing."
9. When they break their established routine at work and home for no obvious or logical reason.
10. After they change into suddenly forgetful and you need to inform him/her every thing several times; their thoughts are clearly elsewhere.
11. When they are at all times drained or demonstrate a noticeable lack of power or interest in the relationship.
12. Once they start to intentionally look at or flirt with the other sex when up to now, that is something they'd not have done.
13. If you discover that they're reluctant to kiss you or accept your affection.
14. When they ignore or criticize your affections and considerate ways. Instance : "Why are you so luvy duvy? I am simply not like that."
15. When the passenger seat in the car has been changed and isn't in the typical position or the mileage on the car is greater than usual. Also increased gas purchases which are inconsistent with the amount of miles on the car.
16. Whenever you notice a rise in ATM withdrawals. Signs of cheating costs money! To play you need to pay!
17. If you discover an increased attention to shedding weight or paying more consideration to their appearance.
18. After they start to volunteer to go to the post office, rushes to check the mail earlier than you do.
19. When they get mysterious phone calls or when they hurry to reply the telephone, leave the room to talk on the phone and whenever you ask who called, they say, "No one", "Incorrect number", or "Why do you care?"
20. Simple trips, such as to the grocery store or financial institution, take hours rather than the time it should take.
21. Your beloved appears to pick fights or finds causes to fight only to stomp out of the home and away from you.
While this list gives a couple of warning signs of cheating be sure to proceed with caution. Simply because your loved one might show a couple of or many of the signs of cheating does NOT imply they're cheating on you. It could be any variety of causes outside of cheating be it an issue at work, with household, and so forth that possibly they have just not wanted to share with you yet.
These signs of cheating are only meant to give you an idea of how cheaters act after and during the cheating process. The very last thing you must do is accuse your beloved because of this list alone.
To discover how to detect an affair in 48 hrs visit the Cheat Spouse Or How To Detect An Affair official website.
Smart Articles @ http://www.articlebrain.com
Are the one you love cheating on you? What are some signs of cheating that correlate with a cheater?
I have listed a few of the main and minor signs of cheating that cheaters generally show whether or not they realize it or not. Regardless of how hard a cheater might try to cover up their cheating actions some things just cannot be held back.
1. Once they no longer need sex or makes excuses to not have sex.
2. When they will not enable you access to their computer or they immediately shut down the pc when you walk into the room.
3. Once they suddenly need to work late and have all kinds of new obligations that take them away from home repeatedly or for lengthy durations of time.
4. After they arrive home smelling faintly of perfume/cologne or another particular person's body.
5. Once they arrive home and head straight into the shower or bath.
6. After they suddenly start to deal with you extraordinarily good; more so than usual.
7. After they start to make "kinky" requests or recommend wildly erotic play throughout sex including things you have never completed before. They may additionally present an increased interest in sex or sexual things, including porn.
8. Her: When she gets spiffed up and clothes provocative to "go grocery buying" or to "get her hair done." She may also present up with a sudden change of hair style. Him: When he showers, shaves (cologne, deodorant, etc.) and dresses up more than standard to "go out with his buddies" or to "go fishing."
9. When they break their established routine at work and home for no obvious or logical reason.
10. After they change into suddenly forgetful and you need to inform him/her every thing several times; their thoughts are clearly elsewhere.
11. When they are at all times drained or demonstrate a noticeable lack of power or interest in the relationship.
12. Once they start to intentionally look at or flirt with the other sex when up to now, that is something they'd not have done.
13. If you discover that they're reluctant to kiss you or accept your affection.
14. When they ignore or criticize your affections and considerate ways. Instance : "Why are you so luvy duvy? I am simply not like that."
15. When the passenger seat in the car has been changed and isn't in the typical position or the mileage on the car is greater than usual. Also increased gas purchases which are inconsistent with the amount of miles on the car.
16. Whenever you notice a rise in ATM withdrawals. Signs of cheating costs money! To play you need to pay!
17. If you discover an increased attention to shedding weight or paying more consideration to their appearance.
18. After they start to volunteer to go to the post office, rushes to check the mail earlier than you do.
19. When they get mysterious phone calls or when they hurry to reply the telephone, leave the room to talk on the phone and whenever you ask who called, they say, "No one", "Incorrect number", or "Why do you care?"
20. Simple trips, such as to the grocery store or financial institution, take hours rather than the time it should take.
21. Your beloved appears to pick fights or finds causes to fight only to stomp out of the home and away from you.
While this list gives a couple of warning signs of cheating be sure to proceed with caution. Simply because your loved one might show a couple of or many of the signs of cheating does NOT imply they're cheating on you. It could be any variety of causes outside of cheating be it an issue at work, with household, and so forth that possibly they have just not wanted to share with you yet.
These signs of cheating are only meant to give you an idea of how cheaters act after and during the cheating process. The very last thing you must do is accuse your beloved because of this list alone.
To discover how to detect an affair in 48 hrs visit the Cheat Spouse Or How To Detect An Affair official website.
Smart Articles @ http://www.articlebrain.com
Johnson & Johnson Recalling Contact Lenses in Japan, Europe
From Reuters Health Information
NEW YORK (Reuters) Aug 23 - Johnson & Johnson, which has been beset with recalls of its over-the-counter medicines, is voluntarily recalling contact lenses in Japan and elsewhere in Asia and Europe following customer complaints.
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care is recalling an estimated 100,000 boxes of its 1 Day Acuvue TruEye lenses manufactured in Ireland, the company said on Monday. It said customers had complained of an unusual stinging or pain upon inserting the lenses.
The company said that upon investigating, it found an isolated failure of one piece of equipment used during the lens-rinsing process in a select number of lots.
Long-term health consequences from the lenses are "unlikely," the company said.
Besides the recall, Johnson & Johnson suspended shipments of affected lots still in its control. Most of the affected product is in Japan, where authorities were formally notified last week, Johnson & Johnson said.
Some countries in Asia and Europe also may have a limited number of affected lenses, Johnson & Johnson said, and the company was working with regulators.
No other markets are affected, including the United States, where a version of the lens is made with a different material, the company said.
NEW YORK (Reuters) Aug 23 - Johnson & Johnson, which has been beset with recalls of its over-the-counter medicines, is voluntarily recalling contact lenses in Japan and elsewhere in Asia and Europe following customer complaints.
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care is recalling an estimated 100,000 boxes of its 1 Day Acuvue TruEye lenses manufactured in Ireland, the company said on Monday. It said customers had complained of an unusual stinging or pain upon inserting the lenses.
The company said that upon investigating, it found an isolated failure of one piece of equipment used during the lens-rinsing process in a select number of lots.
Long-term health consequences from the lenses are "unlikely," the company said.
Besides the recall, Johnson & Johnson suspended shipments of affected lots still in its control. Most of the affected product is in Japan, where authorities were formally notified last week, Johnson & Johnson said.
Some countries in Asia and Europe also may have a limited number of affected lenses, Johnson & Johnson said, and the company was working with regulators.
No other markets are affected, including the United States, where a version of the lens is made with a different material, the company said.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Alcoholism Can Damage Episodic Memory, Awareness of Memory Deficits
From Medscape Medical News
Deborah Brauser
August 26, 2010 — Alcohol dependence (AD) can negatively affect episodic memory, metamemory, and executive function, according to a small trial from France.
In addition, alcohol-dependent patients in this "first of its kind study" were relatively unaware of their memory deficits and overestimated their memory capacity, report the investigators.
"This overestimation of episodic memory abilities in alcoholics has unquestionable clinical implications," corresponding study author Anne-Pascale Le Berre, clinician and PhD student in neuropsychology at Inserm-EPHE at the University of Caen/Basse-Normandie in France, told Medscape Medical News.
She explained that after being physically weaned off alcohol, patients with chronic alcoholism often undergo cognitive behavioral treatments during which they are taught to anticipate risky situations or those with a high risk for relapse.
"If patients are unaware of memory deficits, and especially overestimate their memory abilities, they will benefit only partially from their clinical treatment, since they will labor under the illusion that they have sufficiently consolidated this important clinical information for everyday life, whereas the reality is actually very different," she said.
Neuropsychological screening for cognitive deficits would also be "really useful at alcohol treatment entry, allowing clinicians to ascertain whether alcoholic patients are capable of undergoing standard therapy or whether it needs to be adjusted to take [into] account these impairments," added Dr. Le Berre.
The study was published online August 24 in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
First Time Metamemory Links Found
Dr. Le Berre and her team evaluated 28 patients with chronic AD (75% male; mean age, 47.9 years; average years of alcoholism, 11.49) early in their abstinence from alcohol (average days of abstinence before inclusion, 12.79) at an alcohol treatment facility and 28 non-AD matched healthy controls (50% male; mean age, 47.8 years).
All patients underwent an objective "feeling-of-knowing" (FOK) measure, which compared predictions about future memory performance during an episodic memory task with actual memory performance, and filled out the subjective Metamemory in Adulthood (MIA) questionnaire.
Additional evaluations of episodic memory and executive functioning were also conducted. None of the participants were taking any psychotropic medications or displayed any psychiatric conditions.
Results showed that the AD patients performed worse on the episodic memory and executive tasks than did the healthy controls.
"On episodic memory more particularly, conscience recollection in chronic alcoholics [was] significantly reduced, while familiarity [was] not," the investigators write.
The AD patients were also less accurate than the control group in the episodic memory task, as seen with the FOK measure, and overestimated their recognition performance, as seen with the MIA questionnaire.
The researchers write that "this study revealed for the first time" that metamemory decline in chronic alcoholism "appears to be influenced by the joint deficit in episodic memory and executive functions that is characteristic of this clinical population.
"In view of our results and the growing interest in the brain substrates of metamemory, it would be useful to study links between metamemory dysfunction and brain lesions consecutive to chronic alcohol consumption," they add.
Dr. Le Berre reported her team is continuing to explore metamemory in alcoholism using other measures than the [FOK], as well as conducting clinical and imaging studies on whether frontal activity underlies metamemory abilities. In fact, assessing "chronic alcohol consumption leading to frontal damage [is] the next step of this study."
Useful in Therapeutic Efforts
"The present study went a step further [than past studies], adding to the traditional memory test battery an assessment of the FOK phenomenon," Edith V. Sullivan, PhD, professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine in California, said in a release.
"While it is striking that the alcoholic group had deficits in memory for new information, FOK analysis indicated that they were fundamentally unaware of their deficit," added Dr.Sullivan, who was not involved with the study.
"The over-estimation...of their memory ability was related to low performance on tests of executive function, which could either inhibit awareness or impair ability to retrieve information. In either case, there was a disconnection between feeling of knowing and accuracy of this knowledge."
She noted recognizing the impairment of overestimating episodic memory by those with AD "could be quite useful in therapeutic and rehabilitation efforts.
"Whether this FOK over-estimation generalizes to other cognitive abilities has yet to be determined but has the patina of being analogous to denial of problems with alcohol consumption that so often characterize recovering alcoholics and impede treatment success," concluded Dr. Sullivan.
This study was funded by Inserm, region Basse-Normandie. The study authors and Dr. Sullivan have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res. Published online August 24, 2010.
Deborah Brauser
August 26, 2010 — Alcohol dependence (AD) can negatively affect episodic memory, metamemory, and executive function, according to a small trial from France.
In addition, alcohol-dependent patients in this "first of its kind study" were relatively unaware of their memory deficits and overestimated their memory capacity, report the investigators.
"This overestimation of episodic memory abilities in alcoholics has unquestionable clinical implications," corresponding study author Anne-Pascale Le Berre, clinician and PhD student in neuropsychology at Inserm-EPHE at the University of Caen/Basse-Normandie in France, told Medscape Medical News.
She explained that after being physically weaned off alcohol, patients with chronic alcoholism often undergo cognitive behavioral treatments during which they are taught to anticipate risky situations or those with a high risk for relapse.
"If patients are unaware of memory deficits, and especially overestimate their memory abilities, they will benefit only partially from their clinical treatment, since they will labor under the illusion that they have sufficiently consolidated this important clinical information for everyday life, whereas the reality is actually very different," she said.
Neuropsychological screening for cognitive deficits would also be "really useful at alcohol treatment entry, allowing clinicians to ascertain whether alcoholic patients are capable of undergoing standard therapy or whether it needs to be adjusted to take [into] account these impairments," added Dr. Le Berre.
The study was published online August 24 in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
First Time Metamemory Links Found
Dr. Le Berre and her team evaluated 28 patients with chronic AD (75% male; mean age, 47.9 years; average years of alcoholism, 11.49) early in their abstinence from alcohol (average days of abstinence before inclusion, 12.79) at an alcohol treatment facility and 28 non-AD matched healthy controls (50% male; mean age, 47.8 years).
All patients underwent an objective "feeling-of-knowing" (FOK) measure, which compared predictions about future memory performance during an episodic memory task with actual memory performance, and filled out the subjective Metamemory in Adulthood (MIA) questionnaire.
Additional evaluations of episodic memory and executive functioning were also conducted. None of the participants were taking any psychotropic medications or displayed any psychiatric conditions.
Results showed that the AD patients performed worse on the episodic memory and executive tasks than did the healthy controls.
"On episodic memory more particularly, conscience recollection in chronic alcoholics [was] significantly reduced, while familiarity [was] not," the investigators write.
The AD patients were also less accurate than the control group in the episodic memory task, as seen with the FOK measure, and overestimated their recognition performance, as seen with the MIA questionnaire.
The researchers write that "this study revealed for the first time" that metamemory decline in chronic alcoholism "appears to be influenced by the joint deficit in episodic memory and executive functions that is characteristic of this clinical population.
"In view of our results and the growing interest in the brain substrates of metamemory, it would be useful to study links between metamemory dysfunction and brain lesions consecutive to chronic alcohol consumption," they add.
Dr. Le Berre reported her team is continuing to explore metamemory in alcoholism using other measures than the [FOK], as well as conducting clinical and imaging studies on whether frontal activity underlies metamemory abilities. In fact, assessing "chronic alcohol consumption leading to frontal damage [is] the next step of this study."
Useful in Therapeutic Efforts
"The present study went a step further [than past studies], adding to the traditional memory test battery an assessment of the FOK phenomenon," Edith V. Sullivan, PhD, professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine in California, said in a release.
"While it is striking that the alcoholic group had deficits in memory for new information, FOK analysis indicated that they were fundamentally unaware of their deficit," added Dr.Sullivan, who was not involved with the study.
"The over-estimation...of their memory ability was related to low performance on tests of executive function, which could either inhibit awareness or impair ability to retrieve information. In either case, there was a disconnection between feeling of knowing and accuracy of this knowledge."
She noted recognizing the impairment of overestimating episodic memory by those with AD "could be quite useful in therapeutic and rehabilitation efforts.
"Whether this FOK over-estimation generalizes to other cognitive abilities has yet to be determined but has the patina of being analogous to denial of problems with alcohol consumption that so often characterize recovering alcoholics and impede treatment success," concluded Dr. Sullivan.
This study was funded by Inserm, region Basse-Normandie. The study authors and Dr. Sullivan have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res. Published online August 24, 2010.
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