• Can wearable technology predict the nega

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Thu Jan 27 21:30:48 2022
    Can wearable technology predict the negative consequences of drinking?


    Date:
    January 27, 2022
    Source:
    Penn State
    Summary:
    Researchers demonstrated how wearable sensors can augment
    researchers' understanding of when drinking will lead to negative
    consequences. The researchers measured intoxication with an ankle
    bracelet that can detect alcohol concentration from imperceptible
    amounts of sweat.



    FULL STORY ==========================================================================
    "How much have you had to drink?" might seem like a simple question, but
    it is not always easy to answer. Although there are general guidelines
    about responsible alcohol consumption, a person's level of intoxication
    depends not only on the number of drinks they consume but also on the
    alcohol content of those drinks and other factors.


    ==========================================================================
    In a new article in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research,
    researchers in Penn State's Department of Biobehavioral Health
    demonstrated how wearable sensors can augment researchers' understanding
    of when drinking will lead to negative consequences. The researchers
    measured intoxication with an ankle bracelet that can detect alcohol concentration from imperceptible amounts of sweat.

    Michael Russell, assistant professor of biobehavioral health, led the
    research project.

    "Understanding how much alcohol you have consumed is nuanced," Russell
    said.

    "For example, if Person A drinks a 16-ounce pint of craft beer with
    a 10% alcohol content, Person B drinks a 12-ounce can of light beer
    with a 4% alcohol content, and Person C drinks a large mixed drink made
    with several types of liquor, how many drinks have they all had? What
    if Person A weighs 110 pounds, Person B 220 pounds, and Person C 185
    pounds? Does the answer change? "By using wearable technology to
    predict alcohol-related consequences -- which range from automobile
    accidents to hangovers to missing work to sexual assault and beyond --
    we can begin to prevent alcohol-related consequences. Our research shows
    that wearable sensors can be used to help people understand when their
    drinking is becoming risky." Measuring intoxication through the skin
    Sensors that measure alcohol concentration through the skin, known as transdermal alcohol-concentration sensors, provide more data than periodic breathalyzer results or self-reported drinking measurements. Sensors can
    record a person's peak intoxication level, the rate at which someone
    becomes intoxicated, and how much alcohol was in their system and for
    how long.



    ========================================================================== Additionally, transdermal sensors are less burdensome than other
    available methods for measuring intoxication. Breathalyzers and blood
    sample analyses require active cooperation by the person being measured
    and can be intrusive.

    Transdermal sensors, however, are passive and unobtrusive, requiring no
    input from the wearer.

    A person's blood alcohol content can be estimated on the skin because 1%
    of alcohol consumed is excreted in sweat. The concentration of alcohol in
    sweat is similar to the concentration in blood. This makes transdermal
    sensors a good alternative to measuring blood alcohol content, which
    requires a blood draw.

    Breathalyzers and transdermal sensors have different applications. Alcohol
    in sweat is eliminated more slowly than it is through breath. The amount
    of alcohol in a person's breath is nearly identical to their blood alcohol content, though the amount of alcohol in sweat lags slightly behind at any given point in time. This means that breathalyzers provide a more accurate instantaneous reading of someone's intoxication during a traffic stop.

    Transdermal sensors, on the other hand, provide a more nuanced
    understanding of a person's entire drinking event. Breathalyzers do not
    capture how much a person drank, how quickly they drank, and how long
    alcohol remained in their system, and transdermal sensors capture all
    of that.

    When three drinks are not the same as three drinks This study also
    demonstrated an intuitive finding about intoxication: when a person
    becomes intoxicated by consuming the same amount of alcohol on
    two different days, that person is more likely to suffer negative
    consequences on the day that they became more intoxicated. In other
    words, if a person had six drinks on Friday and six equivalent drinks on Saturday, they would be more likely to experience consequences if their
    peak intoxication were higher on one of those days. Peak intoxication
    can be affected by several factors, including how fast a person consumed alcohol and what they had eaten recently.

    "Alcohol misuse causes problems ranging from the annoyance of a mild
    hangover to the tragedy of premature death," said Russell. "This research
    is one step on a journey toward using technology to limit the harm
    that alcohol can cause." Robert Turrisi, professor of biobehavioral
    health at Penn State, and Joshua Smyth, distinguished professor of biobehavioral health and medicine at Penn State, contributed to this
    research and publication.

    The research was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Department of Biobehavioral Health.

    special promotion Get a free digital "Metabolism Myths"
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    always get wrong about diet and exercise. Claim_yours_now_>>> ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Penn_State. Note: Content may be
    edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Michael A. Russell, Robert J. Turrisi, Joshua M. Smyth. Transdermal
    sensor features correlate with ecological momentary assessment
    drinking reports and predict alcohol‐related consequences
    in young adults' natural settings. Alcoholism: Clinical and
    Experimental Research, 2022; DOI: 10.1111/acer.14739 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220127172643.htm

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