Facts about trans fats

The History of Hydrogenation

Solid shortening, the thick white paste that made your grandmother's pie crust so flaky, was created nearly a century ago by adding hydrogen to liquid oils to make them turn solid at room temperature (the process known as hydrogenation). 

Originally intended as a cheap substitute for butter and lard, partially hydrogenated oils―what we now call trans fats―became known for their ability to increase the shelf life and improve the texture of baked goods and other food products. Soon food manufacturers were adding them to everything from cookies to nondairy creamers to frozen foods, and restaurants were using them for deep-frying and more.

Reasons for a Trans Fat Backlash

In 1994, a study at Harvard University reported that people who consumed the highest amounts of trans fats had twice the heart-attack risk of those who consumed little. 

"The more we look at trans fat," says Walter Willett, who worked on the study, "the more we see it is a metabolic poison." Trans fats are particularly harmful because they lower levels of good cholesterol and raise levels of bad cholesterol.
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New Rules for Food Companies

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration now requires food manufacturers to list trans fats (often called partially hydrogenated oils) on nutrition labels, which prompted many food companies, including Kraft, Campbell's, and Wendy's, to reduce or remove trans fats from their products.

Trans Fats vs. Saturated Fats

Unfortunately, many companies replace trans fats with saturated fats. That's dangerous because saturated fats already make up a larger percentage of most Americans' diets―around 11 percent, as opposed to just 1.5 to 2.5 percent for trans fats, notes Alice Lichtenstein, director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at the Jean Mayer Center on Aging at Tufts University, in Boston. It's important not to consume more saturated fat because you're looking only at the trans fat amounts. 

"We should try to cut down on trans fats as well as saturated fats," says Lichtenstein.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/02/16/facts-about-trans-fats/?intcmp=features#ixzz1mejoGnaw

Homemade Skin Remedies

Fashion and beauty blogger Carrie Riggin shows off the best home remedies for achieving a new look.
People’s bodies take a toll due to stressful lifestyles, lack of sleep and exercise and the high prevalence of processed and fast foods. This segment provides viewers natural, low/cost, homemade remedies to “reset” the mind and body for the New Year. And skin is the body's largest organ so we definitely want to take care of it!
But people don’t have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on the popular anti-aging and moisturizing creams (most of which don’t work and have foreign ingredients that are toxic to the body). Some of the best, natural, and almost FREE beauty remedi es come from within your own kitchen! This segment is going to prove that you CAN look beautiful while on a budget. The secrets I’m about to share are some that I’ve sworn by and that industry experts swear by – these DIY beauty recipes are simply the best and easiest ways to get young, rejuvenated skin fast.
CONTENT
First, basic beauty begins with the glow of good health, which shines from within. So maintaining good nutrition and hydration, and managing things like allergies and hormone imbalances are essential for a radiant clear complexion.
What helps with all of the above? Antioxidants – whether you eat them or apply them – is the single key to young, glowing skin.
There is research showing antioxidants can improve cell function, increase collagen production, improve elasticity, create healthier, younger skin cells, prevent wrinkles, and reduce sun damage.
Antioxidants inhibit free-radical damage to the skin whether from the sun, pollution or other environmental factors (free radical damage causes wrinkles and premature aging): When it comes to wrinkles, free-radical damage causes collagen and other vital skin functions to break down. A great skin-care product, whether it comes in a liquid, gel, serum, lotion, or cream, should contain a potent assortment of stable antioxidants to interrupt free-radical damage and keep it from harming your skin.
Do’s: green tea, grape extract, or vitamin C; Don’t’s: Avoid stimulants such as coffee, alcohol and sugar. Never wash face with soap
NOTE: What is collagen? Collagen is known as the “glue that holds the body together,” a protein that surrounds cells; in the face collagen works to plump up the surface of the skin, making fine lines and minor wrinkles appear less noticeable
Get rid of puffy eyes:
The area around the eye becomes thinner and more delicate as we people age. Salty food, alcohol, and lack of sleep don’t help and are the main culprits of puffy eyes. Drinking lots of water and cutting down on booze and processed foods will go along way.
Best way to get rid of puffy eyes? i. Cucumbers: Reduce swelling, instantly tightening the skin. Due to the high water content (about 90%), cucumbers have a hydrating effect, which fills out the skin
Egg whites: Egg whites offer a temporary lift and tighten effect – great for right before big dates or special events. Smooth whipped egg whites thinly over the around-the-eye area, let dry and rinse.
iii. Temporary tightening: Apply tomato juice (preferably fresh-squeezed) for ten minutes
iv. Face too tight from too much sun: Apply plain yogurt to the skin and leave on for ten minutes.
Exfoliating:
Why is it important?
i. Exfoliation removes the dead cells from the layers of your skin to reveal the live cells beneath, providing a healthy glow.
ii. Dead cells block off the oxygen to the skin, making it dull, and unable to breathe. This also contributes to pores filling up and causing breakout.
Best way to exfoliate at home? Brown sugar, raw oatmeal, olive oil
Recipe:
i. 1 cup brown sugar
ii. 1 cup raw oatmeal
iii. 1 cup olive oil
iv. Mix all the ingredients together and then apply on dry skin, using your hands. Use your fingers and perform slow circles—this treatment is to be enjoyed and not rushed. (The real key is standing over a plastic bag or towel to catch the remains.) After scrubbing gently all over, step into the shower and rinse off. Your skin will be like butter.
Ingredients/Show-and-tell items: Mixture – apply to skin in circles
Face Mask:
Why it’s important? Face is the first thing people see and this is the quickest way to firm, rejuvenate and make skin radiate in now time.
Best face mask: There are many that you can stick to, but whichever face mask you pick, make sure it incorporates HONEY. Why:
i. Honey absorbs impurities from the pores on the skin, making it an ideal cleansing agent.
ii. Honey’s natural antioxidant and anti-microbial properties help to protect the skin from the damage of the sun's rays; honey supports the skin's ability to rejuvenate and refresh depleted skin, leaving it feeling silky soft and supple.
iii. Honey's ability to absorb and retain moisture make it an ideal ingredient in a lot of cosmetics as it helps keep skin hydrated and fresh
I like this one though: Honey, almond scrub. It is great for all skin types – you can’t overuse it – use it everyday if you want; you can make it in bulk and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. This recipe comes from the popular Naturally Skinsational book. [Will combine ingredients if we have time or I can have mix pre-made]
Recipe
i. 2 tablespoons honey
ii. Thinly ground organic raw almonds
iii. Half a lime
iv. Mint: ground up
v. Combine honey with finely ground raw organic almonds (provides an abrasive quality for exfoliating and softening the skins; also provides high amounts of vitamin E, copper, iron and Vitamin A; make sure to ground them up enough so they aren’t too rough on skin). Slice lime; juice half of lime into mixture (limes have acid that softens rough spots on skins and lightens dark areas; also one of the more powerful antioxidants). Mix in ground mint and stir. Apply to face and/or body. Refrigerate leftovers for next time.
Continue reading: http://www2.nbc17.com/lifestyles/2012/jan/20/homemade-skin-remedies-vi-39856/

High-Tech Weight Loss Tools

Text Messages

How they work: A service sends texts to remind you about healthy diet and exercise habits.

How they help: Think of the service as a virtual trainer/life coach who checks in on you and keeps you focused on your goals. In a 2009 study at the University of California, San Diego, people who received texts about healthy behaviors (for instance, “Control portions by dividing a large bag of snacks into smaller containers”) lost four pounds more than those who didn’t. Look for text services created by qualified experts, like medical doctors and registered dietitians.

Check out: Muschealth.com/weight, created by experts at the Medical University of South Carolina, delivers a daily diet tip. Myhealtheme.com gives diet and fitness advice from nutritionists and exercise physiologists.

Apps

How they work: Apps allow you to track calorie intake and log workouts on your smartphone.

How they help: Many studies have shown that keeping a food or workout journal can increase weight loss. But it can be a pain to whip out a notebook several times a day, then add up calories or miles logged on the track. Apps are portable and make the accounting feel like a game.

Check out: Lose It! tracks diet (there’s nutritional information for more than 50,000 foods), exercise, and weight loss. MapMyFitness tracks workouts and can even help you find running, walking, and biking routes in your area.

Wireless Body Monitors

How they work: Think of them as upgraded pedometers: They track steps, calories, and weight.

How they help: The numbers don’t lie. “People often under- or overestimate their caloric intake and expenditure,” says Steven N. Blair, a professor of exercise science at the University of South Carolina, in Columbia. In a study that Blair and his colleagues conducted, published in 2011, people who used a wireless device lost twice as much weight as people who didn’t, possibly because they saw how their choices affected their weight daily.

Check out: The BodyMedia Fit Core Armband ($180, with three months of free website access, bodymedia.com) reports calorie burn with nearly 100 percent accuracy. The Fitbit Ultra clip-on tracker ($100, fitbit.com) syncs its data with your computer wirelessly.

Fitness Video Games

How they work: Pop an activity-oriented game (anything from dancing to ski jumping) into your Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, or Xbox 360 and log in a workout without leaving your living room.

How they help: The variety of options makes this an ideal solution if you’re tired of just loping along on a treadmill. Although you typically won’t burn as many calories as you would doing the real thing, studies indicate that workout games help people stick with an exercise routine, and consistency is the name of the game when it comes to fitness-related health benefits. Games are also a good way to get the whole family involved in exercise.

Check out: Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012 ($50, xbox.com), for the Xbox 360 with Kinect, lets you engage in various activities, including cardio boxing and yoga. The Zumba Fitness 2 ($40, zumbafitnessgame.com for stores), for the Nintendo Wii, is an upbeat cardio-dance workout.

Interactive Websites and Social Networks

How they work: Log on to get fitness and nutrition plans, track your diet and exercise, and interact with others who share your goals via message boards and tweets.

How they help: Research shows that the accountability that comes with group participation can be instrumental in successful weight loss; teaming up with others keeps you engaged when motivation lags. In a 2010 study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, the more often people used an interactive site after losing weight (on average, it was at least once a month for more than two years), the more successful they were at maintaining the weight loss. “There is growing evidence that surrounding yourself with healthy people, even virtually, helps you carry out your own healthy behaviors,” says Mark Carroll Pachucki, Ph.D., a social scientist and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society Scholar at the University of California, San Francisco.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/12/16/high-tech-weight-loss-tools/#ixzz1gi1buDVX

Beat back the years while you sleep

We’re always hearing that one of the best beauty tips around is a good night’s sleep - and with the clocks going back yesterday, sleep is something we’ll all want a lot more of as winter sets in.

But if, like me, you woke up this morning feeling sleep-deprived and bemoaning the bags under your eyes, you probably don’t need convincing that how much sleep - and how good that sleep is - does make a difference to how you look.

But, surprisingly, given that dark circles are one of women’s biggest beauty bug- bears, science is still struggling to explain why we look so bad after a sleepless night.

“There’s a lack of evidence-based research into the relationship between sleep and appearance in the short term,” says consultant dermatologist Dr Nick Lowe. “There’s an increasing body of work suggesting that in the long-term, sleep deprivation could prematurely age skin.

“Chronic lack of sleep (consistently getting less than the seven to nine hours most adults need) has been shown, within weeks, to compromise the immune system, making it harder for skin to repair damage inflicted during the day,” he says.

“Other research has discovered a link between lack of sleep and increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol. At high levels, this can inhibit the formation of collagen, essential for healthy, youthful skin.”

Vogue’s former beauty director Kathy Phillips is so convinced of the importance of sleep that when she founded her aroma-therapy-based beauty company, This Works, she came up with an entire range of products designed to aid sleep, including a lavender bath soak and soothing pillow spray.

“If you don’t sleep well, everything suffers,” she says. “You eat the wrong things because you feel tired, you skip regular exercise and you work less efficiently.

“Some people are genetically programmed to get dark circles; others just feel listless and lacking in energy, have pasty skin and generally feel more fractious.” Let’s say, for argument’s sake, a good night’s sleep is the best beauty secret (no one would ever say too much sleep makes you look bad, would they?), but if you can’t get enough you at least want to make sure you’re using the most effective skincare products available while you are asleep.

The past few years have seen a huge growth in so-called “nocturnal” skincare, but do we really need an entirely separate regime for after dark?

Skincare expert Paula Begoun says no. “Day and night, skin needs the same ingredients to fight wrinkles, ageing, cellular damage and collagen breakdown.

“With the exception of sun protection, which for obvious reasons doesn’t need to be in a night cream, there’s no research showing that skin needs different ingredients or heavier formulations at night.”

But Dr Sian Morris, principal scientist with Olay, which recently launched its Regenerist Night Renewal Elixir, disagrees.

“Day creams have to prep skin for make-up, so most women prefer a light cream that’s quickly absorbed, but our research has found they like their night cream to be slightly richer and creamier.

“Science suggests it makes sense to have a more emollient cream at night. Skin at night is physiologically different from during the day; it needs more moisture and can be more receptive to certain ingredients.”

Her argument is supported by the growth of a field of medicine known as chronopharmacology, which has shown the efficacy of a drug is affected by the time at which it is taken.

This is because all of the biological systems in our bodies - digestion, brain, muscles, metabolism, capacity to sleep - run to certain patterns, known as circadian rhythms.

“Studies show the permeability of the skin’s barrier is lower at night and skin blood flow is higher than during the day.

“Practically, that means greater amounts of the active ingredients within skincare products are likely to penetrate to the dermis (the deeper layer of the skin) to help tackle issues such as wrinkles. Use products that include vitamin A derivatives (the most effective anti-aging ingredients) only at night, because they are unstable when exposed to sunlight.”

These vitamin A derivatives also boost the skin’s natural exfoliation process, which studies have shown to be less efficient at night.

Other research suggests that skin is more prone to water loss while we sleep, so if you really want to wake up glowing and fresh-faced, it makes sense to look for products that are rich in ingredients that draw water to the skin (such as hyaluronic acid and glycerin).

To view this article in full visit: http://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/style/beauty/beat-back-the-years-while-you-sleep-1.1171807

Soy Supplement May Improve Crow's Feet

An experimental supplement derived from soy may help postmenopausal women smooth their "crow's feet" a bit, a small pilot study suggests.

The supplement, known for now as SE5-OH, is under development by a Tokyo-based drug and supplement maker, Otsuka Pharmaceutical.

It contains a compound called S-equol, which is made from fermented soy germ.

The body can produce S-equol naturally, as a byproduct of digesting soy isoflavones, plant chemicals that are structurally similar to estrogen. S-equol itself is believed to attach to estrogen receptors on body cells, and may have weak estrogen-like effects.

Skin cells are among those that have estrogen receptors, and it's thought that women's waning estrogen levels after menopause may contribute to skin aging.

So for the new study, researchers at the Japanese company looked at whether giving postmenopausal women S-equol supplements might improve the appearance of crow's feet -- those lines that begin to surface at the outer corners of the eyes sometime in middle-age, or earlier.

The researchers, led by Ayuko Oyama, randomly assigned 101 postmenopausal Japanese women to one of three groups: one that took a higher dose of the S-equol supplement (30 milligrams) every day for 12 weeks, one that took a lower dose (10 mg) and one that took placebo tablets containing only starch.

"I think it's a very interesting study," said Dr. Carolyn Jacob, director of Chicago Cosmetic Surgery and Dermatology, and a fellow with the American Academy of Dermatology.

Jacob, who was not involved in the study, said it is plausible that S-equol could affect the appearance of crow's feet.

It would have been helpful, she said, if the researchers had taken skin biopsies to see if the supplement users actually showed changes in collagen -- a protein that helps keep the skin firm and elastic.

For now, Jacob said the findings are "encouraging," and longer-term studies should look at the effects of the supplement on skin aging.

In theory, S-equol supplements could have some of the negative effects of estrogen as well, including contributing to the risks of breast or uterine cancer. Oyama's team found no effects on women's breast or uterine tissue, which they gauged using mammograms and ultrasound, respectively.

However, the researchers say, longer-term studies of the supplement's safety are still needed.

For now, there are other ways to deal with crow's feet. One is to live with them. For women who want treatment, Jacob said that both Botox and Dysport "work very well."

The drugs, which work by relaxing the muscles underlying crow's feet, are given by injection, and their effects can last several months. The side effects can include soreness at the injection site and, in rare cases, muscle weakness that can lead to a temporarily droopy brow or eyelid.

It's also possible to delay the first appearance of crow's feet. Using sunblock to protect against damage from ultraviolet light can help, Jacob said. So can wearing sunglasses or hats to keep yourself from squinting -- a key contributor to crow's feet.People vary in their ability to produce S-equol from eating soy, with at least half of all individuals lacking the necessary intestinal flora and therefore being "non-producers," according to Oyama's team. All of the women in the current study were tested and deemed to be non-producers.

In the end, women who used the supplement showed, on average, a modest improvement in their crow's feet versus the placebo group -- as judged by a researcher who did not know which women had received supplements and which had taken the placebo.

The findings are reported in the medical journal Menopause.

"I think it's a very interesting study," said Dr. Carolyn Jacob, director of Chicago Cosmetic Surgery and Dermatology, and a fellow with the American Academy of Dermatology.

Jacob, who was not involved in the study, said it is plausible that S-equol could affect the appearance of crow's feet.

It would have been helpful, she said, if the researchers had taken skin biopsies to see if the supplement users actually showed changes in collagen -- a protein that helps keep the skin firm and elastic.

For now, Jacob said the findings are "encouraging," and longer-term studies should look at the effects of the supplement on skin aging.

In theory, S-equol supplements could have some of the negative effects of estrogen as well, including contributing to the risks of breast or uterine cancer. Oyama's team found no effects on women's breast or uterine tissue, which they gauged using mammograms and ultrasound, respectively.

However, the researchers say, longer-term studies of the supplement's safety are still needed.

For now, there are other ways to deal with crow's feet. One is to live with them. For women who want treatment, Jacob said that both Botox and Dysport "work very well."

Read more:http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/10/28/soy-supplement-may-improve-crows-feet/#ixzz1c5bVCsrB

Middle-Aged Women Happier With Moderate Exercise

Middle-aged women encouraged to exercise at moderate intensity were much happier and more likely to continue working out than peers who exercised more intensely, according to a study.

Researchers led by Steriani Elavsky of Penn State University in Pennsylvania recruited 255 women between 40 and 60 years old to do either moderate or vigorous exercise, then followed the volunteers to monitor their reactions.

Overall, women who did moderate exercise were about twice as likely to feel energized and confident they could do more exercise in the future, and more of them also showed decreased feelings of sadness and anxiety than the vigorous-exercise group.

"Exercise makes you feel better but it is going to be more pleasant when performed at moderate intensity as compared to vigorous, especially when you have been previously inactive or may be overweight," Elavsky told Reuters Health.

They were activities "that would allow you to talk in short sentences while you are doing them, but would not allow you to sing," she added.

Middle-aged women are among the least active and their level of physical activity declines with age. Understanding whether exercise of different intensities has different effects on mood and whether these predict overall physical activity in midlife women is an important question to address, Elavsky added.

Elavsky and colleagues at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey studied the 255 women, who were not on hormone therapy and who kept a daily diary of activities and feelings for two weeks. She presented their findings at the North American Menopause Society meeting in Washington D.C.

At the beginning of the study, the women completed two bouts of moderate or vigorous exercise. The vigorous workout involved exercising on a treadmill to the point where they could no longer tolerate the intensity, and moderate exercise involved a 30-minute session, also on a treadmill, at a pace the women selected for themselves but could be considered moderate.

All women also wore an accelerometer, a small device the size of a match box, to track their energy expenditure and their time spent in activities of different intensities.

The study found that moderate intensity exercise caused more women to report later that they were in a better mood and to have greater feelings of energy, psychological wellbeing and "self-efficacy."

Moderate physical activity was also much better in these terms for obese and out of shape women, Elavsky said.

Vigorous exercisers showed smaller benefits to mood, and those who were overweight or had symptoms of illness reported "significant decreases in calmness" after the exercise bouts.

Examples of moderate intensity exercise include brisk walking, ballroom and line dancing, biking on level ground or with few hills, canoeing, general gardening including raking, trimming shrubs, sports such as baseball, softball, volleyball, tennis (doubles) and water aerobics.

Elavsky added she hopes her study will reaffirm to women that exercise can be a powerful way to enhance their wellbeing, and that they don't have to go all out with their level of exertion.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/09/30/middle-aged-women-happier-with-moderate-exercise/#ixzz1bQQVRQgF

Skin recovery: 4 ways to reverse sun damage

You're a pro when it comes to protecting against sun damage. You've got sunscreen on your keychain, in your lip balm, and all over your skin. But you could still have plenty of sun damage left over from your youth. (Remember squirming away from your mom as she tried to coat you with sunblock?)

Unfortunately, sun damage isn't only skin-deep. UV radiation alters the actual DNA of your skin cells, causing lines, wrinkles, discoloration, and even cancer. "There's a meter in your skin. Every minute you're out in the sun, your body registers it," says Neal Schultz, M.D., a cosmetic dermatologist based in New York City and creator of DermTV.com.
But here's a ray of (UV-free) light: You can reverse the damage. "Whenever you start protecting yourself from the sun, you will stop the process of additional damage and start to reverse, to some extent, what you've already accumulated," Schultz says. Throw in this four-step treatment, and you are well on your way to some serious skin recovery.
Step 1: Exfoliate the right way You want to smooth your skin to create brightness and luster, and chemical exfoliation is the best way to do just that, Schultz says. Chemical exfoliation dissolves dead skin cells instead of scrubbing them off (usually unevenly) the way buffers and granule cleansers do.
When choosing a chemical exfoliant, opt for a product with a 5 percent to 8 percent concentration of glycolic acid, like BeautyRX Daily Exfoliating Therapy Serum ($65, drugstore.com). The active ingredient is vital in removing the extra layers of dead cells that are holding all of the brown pigment that has clumped and accumulated over the years. And whichever exfoliant you choose, follow the directions!
Step 2: Beat brown spots The next step is to rid yourself of those brown splotches. While the product you need is commonly called "skin bleach," there's nothing bleachy about it. It will have the end effect of lightening the brown areas of your skin, but it will do so by stopping the skin's uneven production of melanin (brown pigment) that your skin churns out when it tries to fight UV radiation. Look for a bleach, like Murad Age Spot & Pigment Gel ($60, sephora.com) with a 2 percent concentration of hydroquinone (the active ingredient), and apply it two to three times a day on the darkened areas.
Bonus points If you followed step 1 before jumping to step 2 — exfoliation actually helps the hydroquinone work better by allowing it to better penetrate the skin.

Step 3: Burn no more To maintain your improvement, use sunscreen every day to prevent additional damage. New FDA recommendations emphasize using sunscreen labeled as broad spectrum (meaning it protects against both UVA and UVB rays) with SPF values of 15 or higher. While new sunscreen label regulations won't take full effect until summer 2012, some are already broad-spectrum now. Try MDSolarSciences Mineral Screen Gel ($30, mdsolarsciences.com). To maximize the sunscreen's protection, apply it 30 minutes before exposure and reapply at least every two hours. "The amount of sunscreen that you need to use for your entire body, assuming you're at the beach and you're just wearing a bathing suit, is about an ounce in order to get the actual SPF value," Schultz says. Not too good at ounces? It's a shot glass's worth.

 To view this article in full visit: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44092172/ns/health-skin_and_beauty/#.To8RG7JCA9E