Workout supplement may contain ‘meth-like’ ingredient
A recent study has revealed that dietary supplement called ‘Carze’ may contain a meth-like party drug. Pieter Cohen, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School , said that they have found a drug in a mainstream sports supplement that has never been studied in humans, CBS News reported. Cohen added that the health risk of using supplements adulterated with a drug should not be underestimated. Researchers have looked into the Craze supplement, which is marketed by Driven Sports, Inc., after it was flagged in several failed drug tests. Cohen teamed up with the independent testing global health organization NSF International to analyze the supplement’s contents. Their study found that a substance called N,alpha-diethylphenylethylamine (N,a-DEPEA) which has been termed structurally similar to methamphetamine by scientists, was present in the supplement. According to the analysis, the stimulant is less potent than methamphetamine, but more potent than stimulant called ‘ephedra,’ which has been banned by the Food and Drug Administration after been linked to heart attacks. The researchers have also found the meth-like compound in a weight loss supplement called Detonate, which is marketed by Gaspari Nutrition. (ANI)
Sleeping habits affect children’s behaviour
Children with irregular bedtime habits are more prone to behavioural problems but adhering to a defined sleep regime improves behaviour, says a study. The study published in the Journal Paediatrics, found that irregular bedtimes could disrupt natural body rhythms and cause sleep deprivation, undermining brain maturation and the ability to regulate certain behaviours. “Not having fixed bedtimes, accompanied by a constant sense of flux, induces a state of body and mind akin to jet lag” and this affects healthy development and daily functioning, said Yvonne Kelly, professor at University College London Epidemiology and Public Health. Jet lag is a physiological condition which results from alterations to one’s daily cycle of activity. It is classified as one of the circadian rhythm sleep disorders. “We know that early child development has profound influences on health and well-being on life. It follows that disruptions to sleep, especially if it occurs at key times during development, could have lifelong impacts on health,” said Kelly. As children progressed without a regular bedtime, their behavioural scores — which include hyperactivity, behaviour, problems with peers and emotional difficulties — worsened. However, children who switched to a more regular bedtime had clear improvements in their behaviour, reports a Science Daily. (IANS)