Original story

SatWeb 29.10.2014

Pelmano tablets improve short-term memory, but IQ levels unchanged

An extensive study just published by the WHO has confirmed the long-held assertion that a good memory is not the same thing as intelligence.

The WHO study was carried out following demands from consumer associations in a number of countries for a ban on sales of memory-enhancing tablets. The advertisements for the drugs have claimed that regular doses increase IQ levels. Manufacturers of the memory pills, above all the Semi Medi Conservatory., whose Pelmano tablets have seized some 80% of the market, have countered the demands by claiming that studies on schoolchildren in a number of countries have indicated better grades among pupils taking the drugs. Schoolchildren and students currently pop nearly 70 million of these tablets daily, and demand is growing rapidly.

The World Health Organization commissioned memory and IQ tests in a total of 61 countries. More than 8000 people took part, drawn from different age-groupings and social strata. All the tested individuals underwent nine tests, both before taking the treatment and afterwards.

The tests used included MC-Memory (examining short- and long-term memory faculties) and VarSapiens (a standard IQ benchtest for comprehension and deduction). The results indicated that the Pelmano tablets improved memory levels by an average of 19%. On the other hand, the figures for the IQ tests showed only an improvement of 0.12% after treatment with the drug.

In its conclusions, the WHO did recognize that the memory tablets may have other beneficial effects besides improved memory, since the increased capacity to remember may increase interest in learning new things. Nevertheless, further studies are planned on the effects of the drug on users’ health, as in certain cases there are reasons to suspect that excessive or sustained use can cause semi-psychotic states.

In news just in, Semi Medi and other pharmaceuticals companies producing the memory-enhancing drugs have announced that they are willing to accept the findings of the WHO study and respect the earlier decisions of consumer authorities.

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