diff --git a/gluon/authapi.py b/gluon/authapi.py
index d0922384..faef8c1e 100644
--- a/gluon/authapi.py
+++ b/gluon/authapi.py
@@ -561,23 +561,39 @@ class AuthAPI(object):
             del self.user_groups[group_id]
         return ret
 
-    def has_membership(self, group_id=None, user_id=None, role=None):
+    def has_membership(self, group_id=None, user_id=None, role=None, cached=False):
         """
         Checks if user is member of group_id or role
+
+        NOTE: To avoid database query at each page load that use auth.has_membership, someone can use cached=True.
+              If cached is set to True has_membership() check group_id or role only against auth.user_groups variable
+              which is populated properly only at login time. This means that if an user membership change during a
+              given session the user has to log off and log in again in order to auth.user_groups to be properly
+              recreated and reflecting the user membership modification. There is one exception to this log off and
+              log in process which is in case that the user change his own membership, in this case auth.user_groups
+              can be properly update for the actual connected user because web2py has access to the proper session
+              user_groups variable. To make use of this exception someone has to place an "auth.update_groups()"
+              instruction in his app code to force auth.user_groups to be updated. As mention this will only work if it
+              the user itself that change it membership not if another user, let say an administrator, change someone
+              else's membership.
         """
-        group_id = group_id or self.id_group(role)
-        try:
-            group_id = int(group_id)
-        except:
-            group_id = self.id_group(group_id)  # interpret group_id as a role
         if not user_id and self.user:
             user_id = self.user.id
-        membership = self.table_membership()
-        if group_id and user_id and self.db((membership.user_id == user_id) &
-                                            (membership.group_id == group_id)).select():
-            r = True
+        if cached:
+            id_role = group_id or role
+            r = (user_id and id_role in self.user_groups.values()) or (user_id and id_role in self.user_groups)
         else:
-            r = False
+            group_id = group_id or self.id_group(role)
+            try:
+                group_id = int(group_id)
+            except:
+                group_id = self.id_group(group_id)  # interpret group_id as a role
+            membership = self.table_membership()
+            if group_id and user_id and self.db((membership.user_id == user_id) &
+                                                (membership.group_id == group_id)).select():
+                r = True
+            else:
+                r = False
         self.log_event(self.messages['has_membership_log'],
                        dict(user_id=user_id, group_id=group_id, check=r))
         return r