We spend a bazillion dollars each year trying to stave off the signs of aging. I don't know about you, but I think I'm addicted to buying anything that says it will get rid of wrinkles! I slather on stuff without really looking at the ingredients, praying it's not going to cause bigger problems down the road.
I have just learned that there is something I can do that may have a stronger chance of deterring those wrinkles than any cream I use. It's sugar, sugar.
I'm not talking about sugar scrubs, I'm talking about what you ingest. You need to cut it back or stop eating the stuff entirely it seems.
Yes, too much sugar can cause wrinkles according to studies. The more sugar you eat over time, the duller your skin and the more wrinkles you can develop.
Per Prevention via MSNBC: "At blame is a natural process that's known as glycation, in which the sugar in your bloodstream attaches to proteins to form harmful new molecules called advanced glycation end products (or, appropriately, AGEs for short). The more sugar you eat, the more AGEs you develop. "As AGEs accumulate, they damage adjacent proteins in a domino-like fashion," explains Fredric Brandt, MD, a dermatologist in private practice in Miami and New York City and author of "10 Minutes 10 Years." Most vulnerable to damage: collagen and elastin, the protein fibers that keep skin firm and elastic."
High fructose sugar is reportedly worse than plain sugar when it comes to AGEs.
It's never to young to start worrying about the effects of sugar, either! Per a Yahoo article on the subject, "A 2007 study in the British Journal of Dermatology found that sugar's effects on the skin begin to show at about age 35 and become more pronounced as you get older. And it's not just the obvious culprits, like soda and candy, that cause damage; other foods with a high glycemic index, like white bread, pasta and potatoes also cause the formation of AGEs, because they are quickly converted to sugar in the bloodstream. To make matters worse, AGEs also make the skin more susceptible to sun damage, which in turn accelerates the glycation process."
Have diabetes? Does it run in your family? You may have it and be completely unaware for quite some time. According to an AOL article, "One group that knows all too well sugar's ravaging effects: people with diabetes, who-because they can suffer from years of undetected high blood sugar-often show early signs of skin aging. "Depending on how well their disease is controlled, diabetics can have up to 50 times the number of AGEs in their skin as those who don't have diabetes," says Karyn Grossman, MD, a dermatologist in New York City and Santa Monica, CA, and chief of the division of dermatology at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica."
Avoiding sugar entirely is virtually impossible given the number of foods that turn into sugar in your system. However, you can cut back on added sugars with a bit of will power. You may find it easy to eliminate sugary sodas from your diet, but what about candy bars? cakes? donuts? Of course, a side benefit of cutting out those sugary treats is not just reduced wrinkles! You could find yourself fitting into those clothes you stuck in the back of the closet in hopes someday they'd fit again.
If you have the strength of character to ditch the known sugary foods, you then have to move onto the hidden sugars in food. Did you know that sugar is now added to mayonnaise? Dukes is the only one we've found that didn't have sugar. All those processed microwave dishes? Look at the label and you might be surprised to find sugar listed, as well as high fructose corn syrup, dextrose and other not so obvious types of sugar.
According to recommended food guidelines we're not supposed to eat more than 8 to 10 teaspoons of sugar a day. Don't think you're eating that much? One can of soda has roughly ten teaspoons of added sugar. Eight Hershey's Kisses.
Here's a new blog we've started that keeps up with hidden sugars, titled, surprisingly, "Hidden Sugars". We have included a list of names for sugar that manufacturers use on the tab "Hidden Sugar". If you decide to cut back or eliminate sugar you're probably going to be surprised at how often you'll see two or three different types of sugar in a product. When you add them all up, often sugar becomes the largest ingredient.
Don't think you'll be able to cut back on sugar enough to have an impact? Whether you do or not, we suggest using sunscreens to reduce the effects of harmful rays on the skin and make sure to take a healthy dose of Vitamin C to combat the effects of sugar and other nasties that contribute to aging your skin and body. B1 and B6 are also great at helping to combat the effects of life on your body.
Try drinking more water. Water flushes things through your system faster and helps to get rid of toxins.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Got wrinkles, sugar?
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Opinion: The Quest for Youth, Beauty and... Cancer?
As I was walking on the treadmill this morning I listened to a health segment showing on Fox News. It was not good news gals! There's a new study out that shows a strong link between occurrences of breast cancer and those lotions we use to keep ourselves looking younger.
Yikes. You should see my bathroom counter! Every time I go to the store I pick up some new cream that promised eternal youth, no wrinkles, slimmer thighs and other miracles. I figure if I mix and match maybe one of them will work.
There's the under-eye stuff that helps minimize puffiness and discoloration. Then there's another that promises no wrinkles and that it's the absolute best, works overnight, I'll be twenty years younger if I use it... Why take a chance on choosing the wrong one?
I "assumed" they were safe since they're made by mainstream companies that must be regulated since they're sold in the United States, right?
Wrong.
Now I hear as I'm drinking my first bottle of water (which according to studies has its own problems), walking on the treadmill to slim those thighs (so much for the thigh slimming cream) and keep the heart healthy, that the stuff I slathered on my face last night and then the other stuff I added this morning might result in breast cancer.
According to the study, many lotions contain estrogen or estrogen related ingredients. The extra estrogen could, and there's the magic word, could, increase the risk of breast cancer.
Here's another startling fact I found when I followed up on the story: "Due to gaping loopholes in federal law, companies can put virtually any ingredient into personal care products. Even worse, the government does not require pre-market safety tests for any of them." (per Skin Deep, see below)
Whoa. I was shocked to say the least. Here I go trusting my government again. I should know better. I am usually pretty good at checking out what goes into my body, I just had a major mental lapse when it came to what I put on my body. Even though I've heard whispers about problems with some ingredients I hadn't given it much thought. I mean, gee, it seems that there's a problem with everything these days!
I decided to do some research of my own on the Internet. As I wandered around reading articles the news got worse. There are studies showing increases in the rate of cancer in those who started using makeup at younger ages! There are articles all over the place, many from respected sources, warning against ingredients in lotions, creams, cosmetics and other products we regularly use to keep ourselves looking good --- on the outside.
Given the choice between an extra wrinkle and laying in a wrinkled bed while getting chemo treatments, I think I'll go with the extra wrinkle on the face. However, it seems I may not have to make that drastic a choice, staving off aging as I can for as long as I reasonably can! There are product choices that don't have the known nasty carcinogens. I'm going to be doing some research and will be finding those products. I found one site (www.cosmeticdatabase.com) that seems to be a good neutral starting place. Below are a few articles I've chosen to help you get started on your own research:
From Cornell University (this is the best of all articles I found, has some great videos)
Breast Cancer - The Estrogen Connection
Cosmetics and More
Ingredients in a wide variety of cosmetics and personal care products can mimic the effects of the hormone estrogen. Scientists are concerned that even at low levels, these environmental estrogens may work together with the body’s own estrogen to increase the risk of breast cancer.
http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/research/endocrine/videos/makeup.cfm
Visit www.cosmeticdatabase.com -
Skin Deep is a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products brought to you by researchers at the Environmental Working Group.
Skin Deep pairs ingredients in more than 41,000 products against 50 definitive toxicity and regulatory databases, making it the largest integrated data resource of its kind. Why did a small nonprofit take on such a big project? Because the FDA doesn't require companies to test their own products for safety.
Other articles:
Pretty Ugly: Cosmetics Ingredients Linked to Breast Cancer?
Author: Karen Barrow
Medically Reviewed On: January 04, 2007
Even at the youngest ages, little girls find their way into their mother’s makeup kit, making a mess of lipstick, eye shadow and mascara on their face. And as girls grow older, they begin the delicate debate with their parents over what type of makeup they can wear and when. However, mothers and fathers everywhere may have one more tool in their arsenal for convincing their daughters to delay that trip to the cosmetics counter.
http://juneauempire.healthology.com/main/breast-cancer/breast-cancer-%20prevention/article4037.htm
Cosmetics Popular With Latinas Linked to Cancer, Other Serious Health Problems
Bill Requiring Cosmetics Companies to Report Use of Hazardous Chemicals Would Protect Salon Workers
SAN FRANCISCO—Several cosmetics products that are popular with Latina consumers have been found to contain ingredients linked to cancer and other serious health problems, according to an analysis of cosmetics ingredients.
http://www.breastcancerfund.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=kwKXLdPaE&b=1745617&ct=1286431
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Cutting Age Advances in Anti-Aging Skin Care
An honest look at how we can all save our skin from EARLY signs of AGING! This article was written by board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Gary Friedman of San Francisco. Dr. Friedman explains what's just around the corner for anti-aging skin care solutions.
/24-7PressRelease/ -- The road we travel from the sunrise to the sunset of our lives is known as aging. To a degree the rate at which we age results from both genetic and environmental factors. We have no control over the former but have a significant influence over the latter. Certain foods we eat, the air we breathe, and the sun we expose ourselves to are major environmental stress factors (ESF) which are largely the result of the lifestyle choices we make. Premature aging of the skin results to a significant degree from making the wrong choices. On the other hand, a diet high in fruits and vegetables, breathing clean air, avoiding smoking, and minimizing sun exposure or certainly using effective sunscreens whenever we are exposed to sun light, are choices that greatly reduce these environmental stress factors (ESF) which lead to premature aging.
ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS FACTORS (EFS)
The skin reacts to these environmental stress factors by producing free radicals. Research has shown that free radicals are responsible for premature aging and certain forms of cancer. The body's natural defense mechanisms, which include antioxidants, fight to destroy free radicals before they can cause cellular inflammation that leads to permanent damage. If excessive numbers of free radicals are produced they begin to overwhelm the body's natural defense mechanisms and the extensive cellular injury is no longer able to adequately heal. In the skin, this type of permanent injury goes on to form microscopic scars. As these tiny scars proliferate, a visible wrinkle forms and thus presents as an early visible sign of premature aging.
SAVING YOUR SKIN
We must minimize the environmental stress factors (ESF) in order to reduce premature aging of the skin. Fortunately, smoking and atmospheric pollutants have been reduced through education and legislation. Increased protection from harmful UVA rays in sunlight has occurred with the development of SPF sunscreens. However, most sunscreens provide inadequate protection. More effective products containing EPF (environmental protection factor), IPF (immune protection factors), and DNA repair enzymes, that better protect against damaging UVA 1 rays, are now being developed.
MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH - DNA REPAIR ENZYMES
Current cosmecueutical research is now focusing on the inclusion of powerful, new antioxidants, as well as DNA repair enzymes. As these become available in the very near future, major breakthroughs in anti-aging skin care will take place.
LOOK FORWARD TO THE FUTURE
In summary, significant progress against the oxidative environmental stress factors is occurring with ongoing health education, the development of new, highly potent antioxidants and DNA repair enzymes, more effective sunscreens, and new cosmeceuticals targeting an individual unique DNA. This promises to lead to a profound advancement in the area of ant-aging skin care.
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Saturday, November 1, 2008
The Secret to Growing Young
(ARA) - As we grow older we look forward to the changes that life brings -- retirement, grandchildren, financial security and travel. Other changes we might not accept so readily are the aches and pains and mental slowdowns that leave us longing for the good old days of our youth. We think we have to put up with degeneration when aging, but that is not true. Staying active is key for a healthy lifestyle, but what else can we do to benefit our bodies as we age?
The Human growth hormone (HGH) might be a key element in feeling your best as you age. When HGH was first discovered, its only purpose was thought to be to stimulate body growth to adult size. Recent studies have found that one of the main reasons the body ages is because of the decrease in HGH, which helps the body regenerate.
It is possible that aging symptoms -- rise in blood glucose, high blood pressure and even skin wrinkles -- can be treated by maintaining HGH levels in the body. Receptor sites exist in almost every cell in the human body for HGH, so regeneration and healing effects can be quite comprehensive.
Until now, HGH therapy was injectable, costly and messy, available only to celebrities and the very wealthy. In 1997 a group of doctors and scientists developed an all-natural source product which causes your own natural HGH to be released again. GHR, manufactured by Global Health Products, is a capsule that works as a natural releaser for HGH. It has no known side effects, unlike the synthetic version, and has no known drug interactions. Aging baby boomers and seniors can feel young again by realizing HGH potential.
Some think that HGH is so comprehensive in its healing and regenerative powers that it has the capability to displace many prescription and non-prescription drugs. HGH is known to help treat hemorrhoids, autoimmune diseases, macular degeneration, cataracts, fibromyalgia, angina, chronic fatigue, diabetic-neuropathy, hepatitis C, chronic constipation, high blood pressure, sciatica, kidney dialysis, and heart and stroke recovery.
As seniors and others deal with health care coverage problems, it is important to look at what you can do for yourself to ensure your healthiness. HGH can be particularly helpful to the elderly who, given a choice, would rather stay happy, healthy and independent in their own home. HGH gives the possibility of real health, not just treating sickness.
For more information on HGH and the GHR capsule please visit www.BIEHealth.us or call (877) 849-4777.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
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