Information Overload: Challenges of Navigating Medical and Scientific Research - Essay Sample

Introduction

People currently live in the information age and the role of the media in the dissemination of scientific information is becoming more and more frequent. In the areas of biological sciences and medicine, more than 2 million scientific articles are published annually. In an era where information is disseminated very quickly and at low cost, especially on the Internet, information can be found from unreliable sources and, much worse, full of errors and misinterpreted medical and scientific research and there are so many examples of misrepresentation of medical research by the media.

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For several years now, unreliable sites and media have regularly ensured that the consumption of champagne improves the memory of human beings, and even helps fight Alzheimer's disease. They are based on a study on the sense of orientation of rats. An example of one article that completely misinterpreted the findings of scientific research is one that was written by Hamill (2016) and published by the Mirror. The article was analysing the findings of an article entitled, “The intake of phenolic acid, via moderate consumption of Champagne wine, improves the spatial functioning of memory by modulating the expression/activation of hippocampal and cortical proteins” by Corona et al. 2013 (scientists at Reading University).

According to Hamill (2016), it was great news for the rich people since, “scientists claim quaffing expensive fizz boosts memory whilst battling feared illnesses” (Hamill, 2016). Hamill (2016) goes on to explain how drinking champagne is healthy and “wards off several illnesses.” Hamill (2016) added that champagne has beneficial effects on the brain and especially the memory. According to him, the findings showed that champagne contains phenol, a molecule that stimulates the signals sent to the brain. As a result, phenol boosts memory and therefore slows the chances of developing dementia (Hamill, 2016). He further goes on to say that the results show, “that moderate or average consumption of champagne has the possibility of influencing cognitive functioning and that according to the researcher, drinking three glasses of champagne every week would be ideal” (Hamill, 2016).

There are several important points that Hamill’s article fails to mention. First, the research had not been carried out on human beings but three groups of eight rats. Every group used to receive either champagne or an alcoholic drink for six weeks. The rat’s ability to find their way through a labyrinth was then tested before and after the experiment. The main results showed that rats that received champagne were more gifted at finding their way out of the labyrinth than those receiving a soft drink (Corona et al., 2013). They found their way about 5 times out of 8, against 4 times out of 8 for the rats receiving other drinks. Rats that had not consumed champagne found their food with 50% success (Corona et al., 2013). However, by observing the behavior of those who did consume the alcoholic beverage, the scientists determined 70% precision in the search.

Hamill’s article did not cover the early stages of animal research and it did not mention that Corona et al., 2013 had stated they were not sure that the results apply to humans. Moreover, the phenolic acids that would explain these advances in rats, according to Corona et al., 2013, are similar to flavonoids, which are substances found in plants that are said to have antioxidant qualities. Before advancing to any conclusions, it should be noted that this study was carried out on a small number of rats and it had nothing to do with dementia. Furthermore, the findings were not an observation, that is to say, the researchers did not follow the consumption of champagne over time to compare it with dementia diagnoses or cognitive tests. The worst part is that this insignificant result is linked to spatial memory, and not to cognitive decline. It should also be noted that overconsumption of alcohol can accelerate cognitive decline. Most importantly, humans are not completely similar to rats. It cannot, therefore, be guaranteed that the results would be the same on the human body.

Hamill (2016) also failed to mention any of the concerns that had been raised by Corona et al., 2013 regarding the findings of their research. Corona et al., 2013 pointed out weaknesses and methodological differences in their study, and the absence of standardized definitions before stating that the research conclusions should be interpreted with caution. Corona et al., 2013 call for studies that are better designed to identify alcohol consumption, and optimal protection against cognitive decline.

In November 2015, the National Health Service (NHS) published a long article - titled "There Is No Strong Evidence That Champagne Could Prevent Dementia" – to end the speculation and misinterpretation that had followed Corona’s article. In their analysis, NHS specified that Corona et al., 2013 study was carried out on three groups of eight rats: the first consumed a little champagne, the second consumed another alcoholic drink, and the third no alcohol. During the experiment, it turned out that the rats that drank champagne were better able to find their way in space (at least, five rats out of eight managed to come out of a labyrinth, compared to four in the other groups). From there to conclude that champagne would prevent dementia in humans is a big step that the NHS does not cross. The organization notes that the experiment should not only be repeated several times with other cohorts of rats to confirm the conclusions but that, anyway, the results obtained would not prove that this is transferable to humans.

The other problem with many of these sensationalist articles (for example that of Hamill (2015), other than misinterpreting information, is that they obscure the proven and widely documented dangers of alcohol consumption. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that alcohol consumption is responsible for approximately one in twenty deaths worldwide - a broad estimate which includes diseases related to the consumption of alcoholic beverages, but also accidents, injuries and homicides induced by it (WHO, 2018).

Among the pathologies correlated with alcohol consumption, there are precisely dementias and Alzheimer's disease. A study published by Lancet Public Health in 2018 concluded that almost half of early dementias, that is to say occurring before age 65, are associated with excessive alcohol consumption (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 2018). In this research, the work is carried out not on a few groups of rats, but an analysis based on data from 57,000 cases of early dementia observed in French hospitals between 2008 and 2013 (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 2018). Consumption of alcohol is harmful to health and none, neither wine nor champagne, is an exception. An analysis, covering some seven hundred studies on the subject and published in August 2018 by The Lancet, had led to a very clear conclusion: to be in good health, one must avoid drinking.

It is also crucial to get to the foundation of the research, that champagne in small quantities is good. This is possible because phenols act by modulating the signals in the brain areas dedicated to the ability to remember and learn, the cortex, and the hippocampus, directly involved in the formation of memories and very sensitive to oxidative stress and age. Phenolic compounds, found in high levels in champagne more than in white wine, and specifically, in the varieties of red grapes Pinot Meunier and pinot noir, and the chardonnay grape, favor proteins associated with the storage of memories, which usually deteriorate in the case of the elderly and with diseases such as Alzheimer's (Caruana, Cauchi & Vassallo, 2016). But those beneficial effects, according to research, are only found in small amounts; otherwise, the effect is reversed. If neither type of grape is worth, it does not affect all types of memory. To store memories and new information, the brain has two kinds of capacity, the conscious and the unconscious. Alcohol reduces conscious capacity, which serves to store memory and data such as the meaning of words, the name of a street, or the place where one has left the keys to their house.

At a time when distrust of the media and institutions is reaching its peak, it is crucial to call for a deep questioning of the entire information chain, so that the media can portray scientific and medical research to everyone without sensationalist or ideological distortion and that confidence can be restored in the long term between scientists, media and the public (McCartney, 2016). In a democracy, journalists bear a heavy responsibility, since the freedom they have, as well as the quality of the information delivered, depends on the quality of the public debate and the choices that result from it.

References

Caruana, M., Cauchi, R., & Vassallo, N. (2016). The putative role of red wine polyphenols against brain pathology in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Frontiers in nutrition, 3, 31. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2016.00031/full

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, (2018). The largest study of its kind finds alcohol use the biggest risk factor for dementia. Accessed online from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180220183954.htm

Corona, G., Vauzour, D., Hercelin, J., Williams, C. M., & Spencer, J. P. (2013). Phenolic acid intake, delivered via moderate champagne wine consumption, improves spatial working memory via the modulation of hippocampal and cortical protein expression/activation. Antioxidants & redox signalling, 19(14), 1676-1689. http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/33675/1/ARS-2012-5142-Corona_1P%20notes%20v2.pdf

Hamill, J. (2015). Drinking three glasses of champagne per week could help stave off dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Accessed online https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/science/drinking-three-glasses-champagne-per-6796278

McCartney, M. (2016). Margaret McCartney: Who gains from the media's misrepresentation of science? BMJ: British Medical Journal (Online), 352(1), pp 1-6. Accessed from https://www.bmj.com/bmj/section-pdf/914631?path=/bmj/352/8044/Comment.full.pdf

WHO (2018). Harmful use of alcohol kills more than 3 million people each year, most of them men. Accessed online from https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/21-09-2018-harmful-use-of-alcohol-kills-more-than-3-million-people-each-year--most-of-them-men