Encouraging Health

Tired of skin products that sound too good to be true — and are? Then check out the only proven wrinkle reducer on the market: retinoids.

Retinoids can do amazing things, according to Dr. Amy Wechsler, dermatologist, psychiatrist, and author of RealAge’s new skin-care book, The Mind-Beauty Connection.

Beauty in a Bottle
Better skin can come in a bottle — well, actually, a tube. But it’s a tube your doctor has to prescribe. Wechsler recommends two kinds of retinoids in particular — tretinoin (Retin-A, Avita, Renova) and tazarotene (Tazorac, Avage). “These are FDA-approved, rub-on treatments that rank high on my list of skin-renewal candidates,” writes Wechsler in her new book. “Prescription retinoids can transform your skin, smoothing wrinkles, unclogging pores, lightening superficial brown spots, and improving the texture of the skin. It takes several weeks to start seeing results, but it’s so worth it.” (Learn more about our new RealAge skin-care expert.)

Ask your dermatologist if retinoids are right for you.

Did You Know?
Retinoids are vitamin A derivatives, and vitamin A can help your skin from the inside out as well as the outside in. Sweet potatoes are a great source of this skin-friendly vitamin. Here is one more antiwrinkle food to stock up on:

Chocolate:

The Truth About Chocolate and Your Skin

Here’s a formula for sensational skin: cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen, and . . . chocolate?

You heard right. When eaten, flavanol-rich cocoa, the main ingredient in dark chocolate, improves skin’s texture, thickness, hydration, and blood flow. It may even boost your skin’s defense against the sun by up to 25 percent! How? It packs serious antioxidant power. Just don’t overdo it — chocolate is high in fat and calories, too. And you still need to wear sunscreen every day.

Chocolate’s good for your skin? It’s true! Antioxidant compounds in cocoa, called flavanols, improve artery health by boosting blood flow, and that boost may be good for your skin, too.

Researchers discovered this chocolate benefit in a study of women who consumed half a cup of cocoa (containing 329 milligrams of flavanols per serving, the amount in a 3-½ ounce serving of dark chocolate) daily for 12 weeks. At the end of the study, the women experienced less skin dryness, scaling, and roughness compared to the beginning of the study. Also, their skin was thicker, exhibited improved blood flow, and was even more resistant to sun damage. Pretty amazing.

Still, don’t toss your sunscreen and indulge in mass quantities of chocolate. Consume the sweet in moderation and apply sunscreen every day when you’ll be outdoors for 20 minutes or more.

Which menu special should you order to keep your colon healthy? Go for the seafood platter.

According to a large 22-year study, men who eat fish and shrimp five times a week have a 40 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer. Just get it broiled, not fried, and go light on the butter.

What’s Fish Got That Colons Love?
Researchers aren’t sure why frequently eating fish has such a protective effect on colon health. The omega-3 fatty acids and the vitamin D in fish might get the credit. Or it could simply be that fans of fish eat less red meat — something known to raise colon cancer risk. Regardless, grab that mahimahi burger instead of the beef patty.

Fish Helps You Keep the Beat

In this ever more polluted world, sometimes you just can’t avoid a little bit of particulate matter in your lungs.

So go fish! Eating finny food not only reduces your risk for heart disease but also may protect your heart from air-pollution-induced arrhythmias.

Taking Heart Against Pollution
Short-term exposure to small airborne particles spewed from cars, power plants, and other industrial sources may cause an irregular heart rate. Serious stuff, because it could open the door to heart arrhythmias and even heart attacks in people who are over 60 or have heart or lung diseases.

Airing Things Out
But fish could help thwart that unhealthy chain of events. A study found that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil may help alleviate those irregular beats. That’s just what happened when people over 60 who were exposed to particulate matter took a daily fish oil supplement. Fish oil supplements aren’t for everyone, though, and should be discussed with a doctor first.

Products Need Warning Labels, Scientist Says; Industry Contends They’re Safe to Drink

Caffeinated energy drinks that promise super alertness — and sometimes imply better sports performance — should carry labels that specify their amount of caffeine, says a Johns Hopkins University scientist.

Drinks with the highest caffeine content should also warn of potential health dangers, says Roland Griffiths, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and senior author of a new report on the beverages.

“Many of these drinks do not label the caffeine content,” he says, and some energy drinks contain as much caffeine as found in 14 cans of soda.

The industry begs to differ, with spokespeople pointing out that most “mainstream” energy drinks contain the same amount of caffeine, or even less, than you’d get in a cup of brewed coffee. If labels listing caffeine content are required on energy drinks, they should also be required on coffeehouse coffee, says Maureen Storey, PhD, a spokeswoman for the American Beverage Association.

Energy Drinks: Caffeine Content
Griffiths and his colleagues contacted more than two dozen makers of energy drinks, asking for caffeine content. Here are some of the findings:

(The caffeine content is in milligrams per serving. Although serving sizes vary, Griffiths contends that most people will drink the entire can, whatever the number of ounces.)

Red Bull: 80 milligrams per 8.3-ounce serving
Tab Energy: 95 mg per 10.5-oz serving
Monster and Rockstar: 160 mg per 16-oz serving
No Fear: 174 mg per 16-oz serving
Fixx: 500 per 20-oz serving
Wired X505: 505 mg per 24-oz serving
In comparison, according to Griffiths:

Brewed coffee: 200 milligrams per 12-oz serving
Instant coffee: 140 mg per 12-oz serving
Brewed tea: 80 mg per 12-oz serving
Mountain Dew: 54 mg per 12 oz. serving
Dr. Pepper: 41 mg per 12-oz serving
Pepsi Cola: 38 mg per 12-oz serving
Coca-Cola Classic: 34.5 mg per 12-oz serving
Canned or bottled tea: 20 mg per 12-oz serving
Some of the energy drinks have lower caffeine contents, Griffith says. Among the lower doses:

Bomba Energy has 75 mg per 8.4-oz serving
Whoop Ass has 50 mg per 8.5-oz serving

(more…)

Taking more exercise and eating the right foods may help increase levels of an enzyme vital for guarding against age-related cell damage, work suggests.

Among 24 men asked to adopt healthy lifestyle changes for a US study in The Lancet Oncology, levels of telomerase increased by 29% on average.

Telomerase repairs and lengthens telomeres, which cap and protect the ends of chromosomes housing DNA.

As people age, telomeres shorten and cells become more susceptible to dying.

It is the damage and death of cells that causes ageing and disease in people.

Several factors such as smoking, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are associated with shorter-than-average telomeres.

Professor Dean Ornish, from the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in California, and his team wanted to find out if improvements in diet and lifestyle might have the opposite effect.

They asked 30 men, all with low-risk prostate cancers, to take part in a three-month trial of comprehensive lifestyle changes.

These consisted of a diet high in fruit and vegetables, supplements of vitamins and fish oils, an exercise regimen and classes in stress management, relaxation techniques and breathing exercises.

Telomerase activity was measured at the beginning of the trial and again at the end.

Among the 24 men who had sufficient data for analysis, blood levels of telomerase increased by 29% on average.

Increases in telomerase activity were linked with decreases in “bad” LDL cholesterol and decreases in one measure of stress - intrusive thoughts.

The researchers say it is too early to tell if the boost in telomerase levels will translate to a change in telomere length.

But there is evidence to suggest that telomere shortness and low telomerase activity might be important risk factors for cancer and cardiovascular disease.

“This might be a powerful motivator for many people to beneficially change their diet and lifestyle,” they told The Lancet Oncology.

Professor Tim Spector, from King’s College London, who has been researching ageing and telomeres, said: “This work builds on what we already know.

If you’ve ever polished off a fresh baguette or fought over that last slice of deep-dish pizza, you’ve eaten gluten. It’s the healthy plant protein found in several grains that, among other baking feats, makes bread light, chewy, and irresistible. So you’d think it would be everybody’s favorite nutrient. Nope. Instead, shunning gluten — it’s in wheat, rye, and barley, and often in oats — has become the diet of the moment.

Why? Lots of people swear they feel 10 times better when they don’t eat gluten, celebs included: Gwyneth Paltrow, Rachel Weisz, and Jenny McCarthy are all rumored to be gluten-free. Also, for certain people, avoiding gluten is a medical must: It does a number on their intestines. So could all those stomach cramps be caused by your morning bagel? Should you try going gluten-free? Here’s the real what’s what:

Some people can’t tolerate gluten. Period. In them, gluten triggers an immune-system attack on the small intestine, also known as celiac disease. This disorder isn’t that common, fortunately — only about 1% of Americans (3 million people) have it — but almost 97% of them are undiagnosed! Symptoms range from gas, pain, and bloating to fatigue, seizures, and depression. Over time, celiac disease can screw up digestion to the point of malnutrition. Self-test kits are sold online and can provide clues, and blood tests are the next step, but a definitive diagnosis requires a biopsy.

Some people seem sensitive to gluten. But “gluten sensitivity” is a medical gray area. There are no tests for it, and although problems — migraines, skin breakouts, irritability, even autism — have been blamed on it, doctors haven’t found a clear link. If you suspect you’re sensitive, before you put your toaster and pasta machine on eBay, try this: Go gluten-free for a few weeks to see if symptoms improve; then, add a bit of gluten back into your diet. If problems return, you may be on to something.

How to Try Going Gluten-Free
Most suspicious foods are easy to spot. They include anything with wheat — bread, muffins, cookies, most other baked goods — as well as foods made with several other grains: barley soups, ham on rye, anything with oats. But there are hidden sources, too. Gluten is used in soy sauce, beer, hot dogs, some ice creams, caramel flavoring, sausages, and foods seasoned with MSG. It’s even in the adhesive on stamps and envelopes!

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To keep your knees and hands free of arthritis, here’s what you should have before each meal: a small salad.

Why? Because the vitamin K in leafy greens — think cabbage, spinach, and swiss chard, for starters — could help reduce your risk of joint damage.

Get a Grip on Arthritis
In a study of older adults, those with higher blood levels of vitamin K were significantly less likely to develop the bone spurs and cartilage damage that are common in painful osteoarthritis. Hands seemed to benefit most, but people’s knees got some protection, too. Just one word of caution: If you’re on blood thinners, check with your doctor about appropriate K intake.

A Yummy Greens Scene
You shouldn’t need a vitamin K supplement if you eat your greens — especially dark ones. (Whew. One less supplement to take.)

I love kale. Here’s a recipe i’d like to try soon:

Indian-Spiced Kale and ChickpeasChickpeas make this exotic dish a terrific player in any vegetarian menu.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1 1/2 pounds kale, ribs removed, coarsely chopped (see Tip)
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garam masala, (see Ingredient note)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed

Directions
1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add kale and cook, tossing with two large spoons, until bright green, about 1 minute. Add broth, coriander, cumin, garam masala and salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in chickpeas; cover and cook until the chickpeas are heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.

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It’s lean, it’s laden with fill-you-up protein, and it helps keep your arteries clear. What is it?

It’s the mighty bean. Yep. Beans have it all — including the ability to reduce the amount of artery-clogging fat in your blood.

Lower Lipids
In a study, people who ate a half cup of cooked pinto beans every day for 12 weeks experienced a drop in total and LDL (bad) cholesterol. Which means beans could do great things for your heart health. Researchers theorize it’s the antioxidants in beans — called polyphenols — that may help lower blood lipids.

More Heart Safeguards
One possible caveat: In the recent bean study, HDL (good) cholesterol dropped a bit, too — something not seen in other bean studies. Follow-up research will be needed to see if it’s a fluke or holds true. In the meantime, here are a bunch of other reasons to make beans your best friends:

They help your pants fit better.

Thanks to all the fiber, they help control Blood Pressure.

Getting Rid of the Gas

The fact that beans help thwart colon polyps is all well and good. But how can you prevent the gassy aftereffects that often come with beans?

Here are some tips:

Rinse canned beans before cooking or eating them.

Pour off the soaking water for dry beans and use fresh for cooking.
Increase bean consumption gradually.

Offset the added fiber with plenty of fluids and exercise.

Bean There, Done That

Colon health doesn’t start and stop with eating beans, of course. You should also consider colon cancer screening.

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Want a fun and easy way to power up your brain? Have a chat over coffee, tea, or even warm milk.

The key here is the chat, not your choice of beverage. Even if they’re brief, occasional bouts of social interaction can help sharpen your wits.

Keep Chatting for Better Thinking
Whether you engage in conversation with a friend, a family member, or the guy behind you in the express line, keep talking. In a recent study of young adults, a mere 10 minutes of face-to-face conversation about a social issue was enough to boost working memory and mental processing speeds. Chitchat was as good as a crossword puzzle, in terms of brain benefits. In fact, the more people socialize, the better their brainpower — regardless of age.

Mental Aerobics
Conversation requires us to pay attention, remember what was said, deduce the other person’s meaning, and come up with appropriate responses — some pretty serious mental gymnastics. And when it comes to mental muscle, it’s use it or lose it.

Pick Up a Book, Bulk Up Your Brain

Don’t deny yourself the luxury of curling up with that murder mystery, tragic tale, or sci-fi thriller this weekend. Consider it self-defense class for your brain.

Being a bookworm doesn’t just make you smart. It makes you mentally tough. It builds so much cognitive reserve that bookworms’ brains may be bolstered against bad things like pollution and toxins.

Calling All Reserves
On cognitive tests, book lovers outperform people with lower reading levels. No surprise there. But the big news is that people who read regularly may develop a “cognitive reserve.” What’s that mean? That they’ve got extra brainpower to keep the mind rolling when brain cells are under attack. In a study of factory workers, the brains of the big readers functioned just fine on cognitive tasks, despite on-the-job exposure to toxic substances, like lead.

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Four simple rules could turn your breakfast into a cravings crusher, pound shedder, and mood booster.

It’s all about timing and balance, according to Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons, author of Potatoes, Not Prozac.

One, Two, Three, Four . . .
Here are DesMaisons’s four simple rules for using breakfast to counterbalance the biochemical mechanisms behind sugar cravings, obesity, and depression.

1. Do it daily. Your goal is to make it a daily, automatic habit. The reward? You can kiss late-day low blood sugar and sugary snack cravings goodbye — permanently.

2. Do it sooner rather than later. For the best results, eat breakfast within an hour or so of waking up — even if you’re not hungry. Morning-time low blood sugar produces a brain chemical designed to mask hunger pangs — but can cause sugar cravings later in the day.

3. Make it complex. We’re talking complex carbohydrates here (whole-grain cereals, steel-cut oats, high-fiber fruits, etc.) The fiber keeps blood sugar on an even keel and helps you feel full longer.

4. Power it with protein. Protein slows digestion, helps prevent spikes and dips in blood sugar, and can even give you a dose of depression-fighting tryptophan. DesMaisons recommends that you get a third of your daily protein at breakfast.

It’s true: breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. A nutritious, well-balanced morning meal not only sustains your energy levels better than endless cups of coffee, but it also can help:

• Boost weight loss efforts. Research shows that breakfast eaters are more successful at losing weight and maintaining that weight loss compared to breakfast skippers.
• Sharpen your mind. People who consume a high-fiber breakfast stay more alert than those who start their day with a high-fat meal, according to research.
• Protect your cardiovascular system. A study revealed that people who consumed whole-grain cereals rather than refined cereals had a lower risk of heart disease.
• Strengthen your immune system. The right breakfast choices help you start your day with immune-boosting vitamins and minerals.

Browse Encouraging Health.

If you’ve been denying yourself pancakes for health and waist reasons, get out the griddle — they’re back.

Play Fast and Loose with the Batter
“Pancake batters are like cookie mixtures: They aren’t an exact science. You can throw all kinds of stuff into them and they’ll still come out just fine!” says nutritionist Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of The Food and Mood Cookbook. Here’s how to rehab your favorite flapjack recipe:

1. Cut Down the Calories
· Use half the oil, margarine, shortening, or butter called for in the recipe.
· Use nonfat milk or nonfat condensed milk — or low-fat buttermilk or soymilk — instead of whole milk.
· Use cooking spray to prepare the griddle.
· Keep servings to two 4″ pancakes.

2. Pump Up the Fiber
· Replace some of the white or unbleached flour with whole-wheat pastry flour. (It’s lighter than regular whole-wheat flour.) Start with 3/4 cup white and 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour for every cup of flour called for. Increase the whole-wheat flour every time you cook until you find the proportion you like best.
· Toss in a handful of oatmeal to up the protein and fiber. (You may need to add a little extra milk, too.)
· To make gluten-free pancakes, use buckwheat flour.

3. Skim Off the Cholesterol
· Replace the eggs with egg substitute, or use two whites per yolk.
· For fluffier pancakes, whip the whites separately, and then fold them into the batter.

4. Skinny Down the Sugar
· Replace half the sugar with Splenda.
· Try adding sweet-tasting flavorings: vanilla, nutmeg, and/or cinnamon, and leave out some of the sugar.

5. Rev Up the Antioxidants
· Mix a spoonful of canned pumpkin, grated apple, or whole blueberries into the batter.
· Add some toasted wheat germ or ground flaxseeds, too.

6. Swap Out the Syrup
· Heap on fresh or thawed berries — any kind.
· Top with a tablespoon of all-fruit apricot jam and a sliced banana.
· Spoon on fat-free sour cream, yogurt, or ricotta cheese mixed with mango chunks or mandarin oranges.

If you still crave syrup, drizzle any of the above with a little agave nectar (sold in health-food stores). It tastes as sweet as syrup, but it’s far easier on your blood sugar levels.

Now, Reap the Rewards
Trading pale, wimpy pancakes soaked in butter and syrup for hearty, healthy ones rich in flavor, fruit, fiber, and nutrients will do more than rehab an A.M. favorite and boost your energy for the day.

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