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An unauthorized health product found on the Canadian market contains a chemical with no therapeutic use that can cause serious health problems.

An unauthorized health product found on the Canadian market contains a chemical with no therapeutic use that can cause serious health problems.

Health Canada is attempting to orchestrate the recall of RevolutionDS Weight Loss, but the listed contact on the corresponding website “has not been forthcoming in providing all required information to effectively recall the unauthorized product.” Promoted as a weight-loss aid, the capsules contain benzylpiperazine (BZP), a synthetic substance with no therapeutic value. In fact, Health Canada is in the process of deciding whether or not BZP should be added to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act because of its amphetamine-like side effects.

Taking the maximum daily dose printed on the label of four capsules will expose consumers to BZP levels associated with cardiac arrhythmia, which was documented in a Canadian report including the associated use of RevolutionDS Weight Loss. Other effects include increased body temperature and blood pressure, dilated pupils, a sense of euphoria and increased alertness and paranoia. The substance could also have negative side effects if paired with alcohol or prescription drugs. Health Canada also says the substance has “abuse potential.”

Consumers are advised to stop using the product immediately and contact a doctor if concerned about their health. Anyone with questions about the warning can call Health Canada’s public enquiries line toll free at 1-866-225-0709.

Couples that equally split the responsibility for paid and unpaid work report higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction, according to a study out of the University of Western Ontario.

The study, in which researchers examined shared roles in relationships with respect to paid and unpaid work, also shines a new light on traditional family models, according to the university’s report.

Researchers collected data from the Statistics Canada Canadian General Social Surveys of 1986, 1992, 1998 and 2005. None of the couples were full-time students or retired.

They found that, of all respondents, more than 25 per cent now report a family model involving shared roles, where each partner’s unpaid work is within 40 to 60 per cent of the total. Couples are more likely to be in this model when women have more resources and the couple is less religious.

The ‘complementary-traditional family’ model still made up the majority of respondents, although the number is in decline from previous years. In this model, the men do more paid and the women more unpaid work.

Researchers suggest the shared role approach boosts gender equality because it leaves women less vulnerable in the event of separation, divorce or the death of a spouse. The research team advocated promoting the shared role model through government policy that includes adequate childcare facilities and equal opportunity for parental leave.

Prolonged sobriety can improve but not completely reduce the excessive postural sway observed in chronic alcoholics, according to a new report.

Published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, researchers examined postural sway, which is a prominent condition in recovering chronic alcoholics. While most people can stand still with little in the way of movement to maintain balance, alcoholics have more trouble standing upright, particularly if they have been drinking for long periods of their lives.

Researchers used what they called a “force platform” to measure postural sway in 34 alcoholic men, 15 alcoholic women, 22 control men and 29 control women. They also measured biomechanical control mechanisms that indicated the degree of skeletomuscular control over balance.

The results showed, “the sway paths of alcoholics are longer and cover a wider area than those of controls for a given time.” Sway could be easily remedied with small improvements to the alcoholic’s environment, such as a light in a dark room, using a banister on a flight of stairs or standing with feet farther apart.

Most of the sway was seen in front-to-back motions, as opposed to side-to-side, which the research team linked to the damage chronic alcoholism can cause to specific parts of the brain. The research team also noted improvements in alcoholic men, whereas alcoholic women were less likely to improve to control levels.

Leafy greens and coloured fruits, both rich in carotenoids, can increase visual performance and might help prevent age-related eye diseases, according to a studying the Journal of Food Science.

Authors from the University of Georgia compiled multiple studies of the effects of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin on visual performance. Both have been found to have a positive effect on the retina.

After reviewing the studies, the authors concluded that the two compounds do have an effect on visual performance. They can also help reduce disability and discomfort from glare, enhance contrast and increase visual range.

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