http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Very few women follow the nutritional and lifestyle recommendations before they become pregnant, even when pregnancy is in some sense planned, finds a study published on bmj.com today. http://phys.org/news153736890.html Medicine & Health Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:42:10 EST news153736890 Alcohol advertising and marketing may lead to underage drinking. A large systematic review of more than 13,000 people, published in the open access journal BMC Public Health, suggests that exposure to ads and product placements, even those supposedly not directed at young people, leads to increased alcohol consumption. http://phys.org/news153146742.html Medicine & Health Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:53:40 EST news153146742 Alcohol consumption is known to cause liver damage. Yet the specifics of alcohol-induced liver injury can differ depending on the pattern of drinking. New rodent findings show that chronic drinking causes more injury - as measured by gene-expression changes - to the liver than acute or binge drinking. http://phys.org/news152902421.html Medicine & Health Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:53:57 EST news152902421 Exposure to second-hand smoke and alcohol significantly raises the risk of liver disease, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). http://phys.org/news152892670.html Medicine & Health Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:11:38 EST news152892670 People with mental illness alone are no more likely than anyone else to commit acts of violence, a new study by UNC researchers concludes. But mental illness combined with substance abuse or dependence elevates the risk for future violence. http://phys.org/news152819983.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:00:13 EST news152819983 Animal research has shown that binge drinking - even just once - during early pregnancy can cause numerous problems for the fetus, including early postnatal death. Fetal zinc deficiency may explain some of the birth defects and neurodevelopmental abnormalities associated with alcohol exposure. New rodent findings are the first to show that dietary zinc supplements throughout pregnancy can reduce some alcohol-related birth defects. http://phys.org/news152819382.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:49:52 EST news152819382 While many people are aware that drinking during pregnancy can lead to a range of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs), including the serious Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), linkages between maternal-drinking measures and child outcomes have been inconsistent. Researchers have now designed a "metric" or combination of measures that appear better able than individual measures to predict prenatal neurobehavioral dysfunction and deficits in children. http://phys.org/news152817247.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:14:25 EST news152817247 Brief but personal intervention reduces drinking among risky college drinkers, according to a research study at The University of Texas School of Public Health. Results of the study will be published in the February issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. http://phys.org/news152560530.html Medicine & Health Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:56:06 EST news152560530 Current government programmes aimed at reducing drug and alcohol use among young people may be ineffective and may even be doing more harm than good, according to a paper published today in Public Policy Research, the quarterly journal published today by the Institute for Public Policy Research. http://phys.org/news152471614.html Medicine & Health Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:14:19 EST news152471614 Australia's leading scientific journal in the substance use area, the Drug and Alcohol Review - published by Wiley-Blackwell, has released a special issue on the use of new technologies in the treatment of drug problems. The issue highlights the use of mobile phones, Internet and computers to treat drug use problems. http://phys.org/news151754773.html Medicine & Health Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:07:17 EST news151754773 (PhysOrg.com) -- It is well known that moderate drinking can have positive health benefits — for instance, a couple of glasses of red wine a day can be good for the heart. But if you're a senior in good health, light to moderate consumption of alcohol may also help prevent the development of physical disability. http://phys.org/news151242445.html Medicine & Health Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:47:25 EST news151242445 With many local and national governments currently debating proposals to raise alcohol taxes, a timely new study published online today in the February edition of Addiction journal finds that the more alcoholic beverages cost, the less likely people are to drink. And when they do drink, they drink less. After analyzing 112 studies spanning nearly four decades, researchers documented a concrete association between the amount of alcohol people drink and its cost. http://phys.org/news151242347.html Medicine & Health Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:45:47 EST news151242347 (PhysOrg.com) -- Even moderate amounts of alcohol affect recovery from athletic performance, with muscle performance loss doubled in those who drank alcohol. http://phys.org/news151166146.html Medicine & Health Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:35:46 EST news151166146 New research conducted at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health indicates that the advertising of alcohol in predominantly African-American neighborhoods of New York City may add to problem drinking behavior among residents. Prior studies have shown that alcohol advertisements are disproportionately located in African- American neighborhoods, but the impact of such advertising on alcohol consumption has been unclear. The study is currently published online by the American Journal of Public Health. http://phys.org/news150990650.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:50:50 EST news150990650 Moderate drinkers often have lower risks of Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive loss, according to researchers who reviewed 44 studies. http://phys.org/news149793901.html Medicine & Health Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:25:01 EST news149793901 As the party season approaches, a timely reminder of the issues surrounding the binge drinking culture are again highlighted by research into 'young people and alcohol' a team lead by Professor Christine Griffin, at the University of Bath. The research, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) suggests several considerations for future policy. http://phys.org/news149660366.html Medicine & Health Sun, 28 Dec 2008 04:19:26 EST news149660366 One part of the prenatal brain that may be particularly sensitive to alcohol's effects is white matter, nerve fibers through which information is exchanged between different areas of the central nervous system. A recent study has demonstrated that alcohol consumption during pregnancy can alter the microstructural integrity of developing fetal cerebral white matter in the frontal and occipital lobes of the brain. These anomalies may help to explain the executive dysfunction and visual processing deficits that are associated with gestational alcohol exposure. http://phys.org/news148927034.html Medicine & Health Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:37:14 EST news148927034 A national alcohol research group is concerned that the media's misinterpretation of a recent British research study could encourage pregnant women to be more at ease with temperate alcohol consumption. http://phys.org/news148912090.html Medicine & Health Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:28:10 EST news148912090 In a new report published online today in the January issue of Addiction, researchers question whether current licensing policies have contributed to a rise in the phenomenon of "pre-drinking" amongst young people. http://phys.org/news148560705.html Medicine & Health Mon, 15 Dec 2008 10:51:45 EST news148560705 Researchers at the UCSF Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center have identified a region on the human genome that appears to determine how strongly drinkers feel the effects of alcohol and thus how prone they are to alcohol abuse. http://phys.org/news148063260.html Medicine & Health Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:41:00 EST news148063260 Moderate alcohol intake is associated with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in plasma and red blood cells. This is the major finding of the European study IMMIDIET that will be published in the January issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, an official publication of the American Society for Nutrition and is already available on line (www.ajcn.org ). The study suggests that wine does better than other alcoholic drinks. This effect could be ascribed to compounds other than alcohol itself, representing a key to understand the mechanism lying behind the heart protection observed in moderate wine drinkers. http://phys.org/news147617342.html Medicine & Health Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:49:02 EST news147617342 Teens are fascinated by their brains, the way they work, change, and even "freeze" sometimes. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) recommends that parents, teachers and caregivers use that fascination to engage middle and high school students this holiday season in a discussion of why they shouldn't drink alcohol. http://phys.org/news147533235.html Medicine & Health Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:27:15 EST news147533235 The consumption of illicit or noncommercial alcohol is widespread in many countries worldwide and contributes significantly to the global burden of disease, according to a new report released today by the International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP). The report focuses on the use of noncommercial alcohol, defined as traditional beverages produced for home consumption or limited local trade and counterfeit or unregistered products, in three regions: sub-Saharan Africa, southern Asia, and central and eastern Europe. http://phys.org/news146316142.html Medicine & Health Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:22:22 EST news146316142 A new study provides the first evidence of a link between alcohol-industry sponsorship and hazardous drinking among sportspeople. http://phys.org/news146232964.html Medicine & Health Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:16:04 EST news146232964 What makes residents of certain states or countries more likely to consume more alcohol? According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, high levels of individualism lead to more problem drinking. http://phys.org/news146139981.html Medicine & Health Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:26:21 EST news146139981 Raising taxes on beer, wine and liquor immediately reduces the number of deaths from alcohol-related diseases such as liver disease, oral or breast cancers, and alcohol poisoning, according to a new study published in the online edition of the American Journal of Public Health. http://phys.org/news145814381.html Medicine & Health Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:59:41 EST news145814381 New research from the University of Western Sydney has revealed that women in recovery from alcoholism are at a high risk of relapsing as they reach midlife. http://phys.org/news144948706.html Medicine & Health Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:31:46 EST news144948706 Studies in recent years have demonstrated that binge drinking can decrease bone mass and bone strength, increasing the risk of osteoporosis. http://phys.org/news143977314.html Medicine & Health Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:41:54 EST news143977314 (PhysOrg.com) -- The work follows a study carried out by Oregon Health and Science University, which suggested a link between a gene mutation in mice and tolerance to alcohol. Researchers at Liverpool have investigated this in worms, looking specifically at the role the gene plays in communication between cells in the nervous system. http://phys.org/news143891920.html Biology Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:58:40 EST news143891920 People who began drinking and using marijuana regularly prior to their 15th birthday face a higher risk of early pregnancy, as well as a pattern of school failure, substance dependence, sexually-transmitted disease and criminal convictions that lasts into their 30s. http://phys.org/news143379525.html Medicine & Health Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:38:45 EST news143379525