Are spices good for your health?

26 December 2012 Last updated at 01:16

By Hannah Briggs

Spices have been revered for their health benefits throughout history. But can they cure a hangover or help shift those extra Christmas pounds?

Whether you're grating nutmeg into your speculaas (Dutch spiced shortcrust biscuits) or sprinkling some cinnamon into your Glögg (a Norwegian version of mulled wine), adding a touch of spice is an easy way to make food and drink more appetising.

According to Ayurvedic medicine, an ancient belief system in Hinduism, spices can be warming or cooling and are used to affect the balance of the digestive system.

"They act as a stimulus to the digestive system, relieve digestive disorders and some spices are of antiseptic value," explains Dr Krishnapura Srinivasan, a scientist at the Central Food Technological Research Institute in Mysore, India.

It is not surprising that spices have become associated with dieting. As far back as 2500 years ago, the Chinese teacher and philosopher Confucius recommended eating ginger at every meal to improve digestion. But there is still no scientific consensus on how spices affect our health.

"There's a perception that spices are good for dieting as this is often covered in the media; women will often latch on to anything that sounds as though it's an easy way to lose weight," explains Azmina Govindji, an award-winning dietician from the British Dietetic Association.

Scientists at the Human Performance Lab at Appalachian State University, North Carolina, US, recently studied whether culinary doses of red pepper and turmeric would reduce chronic inflammation in overweight females aged 40-72.

They hypothesised that inflammation in overweight people could be caused by oxidative stress. This is a process when chemically reactive molecules known as free radicals trigger physiological events or damage tissues.

But the results of the month-long clinical trial were negative. No evidence was found to suggest that red pepper or turmeric alters inflammation by influencing oxidative stress.

This could point to the need for higher doses and longer testing periods, scientists say. Or that the spices simply have no effect.

Cayenne pepper is another spice touted as a weight loss solution. You might have added it to poached eggs or corn on the cob, but how about eating it with maple syrup?

The cayenne pepper and maple syrup diet made headlines in 2007, when US singer Beyonce Knowles reported losing 20lb (9kg) after following it for two weeks.

So why is the spice hotly tipped as a solution to weight loss?

"There have been suggestions that red cayenne pepper may be a useful aid to weight management, especially in people who don't normally eat chilli peppers," says Ms Govindji.

"But this remains to be confirmed."

The effect of red pepper on thermogenesis, a process which affects metabolism and appetite, was studied by scientists at Purdue University, Indiana in the US.

The study found that as body temperature increased, metabolic rate increased, and the desire to eat fatty foods was decreased in participants who ate red pepper as part of a meal compared to those who didn't.

Another study by researchers at Kyoto University, Japan found that males in the country who consumed a normal diet along with a red pepper extract known as "CH19-Sweet" experienced slightly decreased body fat and weight loss after two weeks.

But can we draw any real conclusions from studies such as these?

"The research around spices is really interesting, but there just isn't enough of it to be sure we can make recommendations," says Ms Govindji.

"We know that reducing sodium is a really important part of health, reducing risks of high blood pressure and strokes, and spices help to reduce sodium in cooking as they enhance the flavour or food."

One chef advocating the power of spices to transform our food and health is Gurpareet Bains.

"Spices are the most anti-oxidising foods on the planet, they're very powerful foods," says Mr Bains, author of Indian Superspices, a collection of "lab-inspired" recipes designed to treat the symptoms of everyday illnesses.

"Everyone says that Indian food is unhealthy but with Indian Superspices I completely throw that out of the window because Indian food can be medicine at the same time."

Mr Bains says his "turkey with blueberries, cinnamon and fennel" recipe is one of the healthiest meals in the world, perfect for Christmas leftovers.

"It contains as many antioxidants as 23 bunches of grapes," he says.

For insomniacs, Mr Bains has also created a nutmeg-infused lamb masala which he tested out live on air on the BBC Asian Network and BBC London radio.

"What I did was create a meal that helps people fall asleep and nutmeg is a powerful sedative.

"The presenters started to fall asleep at 10am in the morning."

For a hangover, Mr Bains recommends making some chai with spices such as nigella seeds, fennel, cardamom and ground ginger.

"Nigella is an amazing spice, almost like a multi-targeting spice, if you have cold and flu or allergic reactions.

"Simply add one teaspoon into water, simmered for ten minutes covered, pour over mint leaves and honey and you'll have a tea to treat a few different types of ailments," says Mr Bains.

When cooking with spices you're spoilt for choice in terms of the range of ingredients and recipes you can choose from.

But whether you're taking a leaf out of the Hairy Dieters book and roasting some cumin-crusted vegetables, or cooking up a spiced apple and raisin crumble, ultimately it is not the spices alone that help you lose weight but how you cook with them.

"You could potentially add more flavour to food by using cinnamon in porridge or nutmeg in bread and butter pudding, reducing the need for too much sugar," says Ms Govindji.

"But the spice itself won't promote the weight loss."

"Substituting spices for sugar can help people lose weight only if this promotes a reduction in calories."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/0/20625751

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The risks of anti-aging medicine

By Gretchen Voss, Health.com

March 30, 2012 -- Updated 2026 GMT (0426 HKT)

Hanneke Hops wasn't afraid of dying. What concerned her was growing old and not being able to run marathons, ride horses, or fly planes. So the 56-year-old Hayward, California, woman turned to Alan Mintz, M.D. -- a radiologist who founded the Cenegenics Medical Institute in Las Vegas, which specializes in "age management medicine."

She was prescribed recombinant human growth hormone (HGH), a synthetic version of a pituitary hormone hawked as a miraculous fountain of youth. Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that taking HGH poses serious health risks, Hops -- unaware there was any harm -- began injecting it into her thigh six times a week.

She never did grow old. Six months later, in 2004, she was dead, her liver full of malignant tumors. While it is impossible to prove that HGH therapy contributed to Hops's death, the use of HGH has been linked to an increased risk of cancer. (Mintz said at the time of Hops's death that Hops would not have been treated if he knew she had cancer.)

Today, thousands of physicians are catering to the 78 million baby boomers who are hoping to feel younger, longer -- and willing to pay for the privilege. The anti-aging industry is expected to gross more than $291 billion worldwide by 2015.

The problem is, many of these so-called anti-aging doctors are making empty promises. "They're one step above snake oil salesmen," says Steven R. Goldstein, M.D., a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at New York University School of Medicine. They prey on women who have legitimate medical concerns such as poor sleep, flagging energy, and libido loss, he says, yet they often lack the training required to treat those problems.

Even worse, they peddle therapies -- most notably, the unapproved use of hormones like HGH and customized drug cocktails -- which are unproven and can even be deadly.

The rise of the anti-aging doc

Once, middle-aged women sought out a gynecologist for menopausal symptoms, or an internist for fatigue. Now a new brand of doctor is promising to treat the above, and deliver much more: better sex, a fitter body, dewier skin.

"They often try to convince people that aging is their fault: 'If you listen to us, we can fix the problem,' " says S. Jay Olshansky, Ph.D., a research associate at the Center on Aging at the University of Chicago.

Yet aging is a natural process, not a medical condition, and there isn't any therapy that can reverse it or slow it down, Olshansky says. Official medical associations from the Endocrine Society to the American Medical Association warn against using "anti-aging" interventions.

And while traditional doctors, such as endocrinologists (who specialize in hormones) and geriatricians (who focus on the elderly) are specifically trained to treat age-related conditions such as hormone imbalances, "not all anti-aging doctors have a degree or advanced expertise" in what they practice, Olshansky says.

In fact, anti-aging isn't a specialty that's recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties, meaning doctors can't officially be board-certified in it. Yet it has its own professional society, the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M). Founded in 1992, A4M boasts some 24,000 members worldwide and offers a certificate in anti-aging medicine, available to any M.D.

Once a doctor sets up an anti-aging practice, she stands to make major profits. Many age-fighting treatments aren't covered by insurance, which means the M.D.s prescribing them are paid out-of-pocket, Olshansky says -- and that can add up to thousands per patient. At a time when physicians are getting lower and lower reimbursements under managed care, it's little wonder that doctors of all stripes, from emergency-room medicine to radiology, are flocking to this lucrative new specialty.

Unproven treatments

So how do you know if your doctor is making promises he can't keep? Here are the top dangers Health's investigation uncovered:

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This document is provided for reference purposes only and not necessarily reflect the opinion of bynaturael’s team . Train your mind to test every thought and keep on searching the final truth that satisfies the conscience inside you. Please visit our blog: bynaturael.blogspot.com

5 Things That Should Never Be In Your Makeup

With a bit of due diligence, you can find killer makeup that won't kill you.

By Leah Zerbe

Spring is right around the corner, inspiring us to reach for bright colors, not just in the closet, but in cosmetic aisles, too. But every time you slather a flash of color across your lips, you could be applying an alarming dose of lead to your mouth, a part of the body where the heavy metal is easily absorbed and ingested. In fact, a new report found lead contamination in cosmetics is more widespread than previously thought—400 lipsticks tested positive for the brain-damaging contaminant, with L'Oreal lipsticks being the worst offenders.

The lead—which isn't listed on the ingredient breakdown—could be coming from the colorant or another contaminated ingredient, explains Stacy Malkan, cofounder of Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and author of Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry (New Society Publishers, 2007). Short of sending the lipstick to a lab for lead testing, there's not much consumers can do to avoid it (besides just not wear it).

"It shouldn't be this hard for consumers to avoid toxic products," Malkan says. "That's why we need to update the 1938 cosmetic regulations and give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority and resources to ensure the safety of cosmetics," she adds, referring to the outdated 75-year-old law that the FDA uses to monitor safety in the beauty industry.

When it comes to cosmetics, lead is just one thing to watch out for. Many of the complex chemicals used in makeup have never been tested for long-term impacts on human health before being introduced to the market. And these routine exposures to harmful makeup chemicals could be harming the health of millions of people whose only crime is trying to look cuter. "The average woman uses a dozen personal care products every day containing more than 180 chemicals, so the toxic exposures are adding up," explains Malkan.

Malkan says she avoids products that contain any of the following substances because they indicate that the company is not doing the best job it can to formulate the safest products.

To look your best without wrecking your health, learn how to avoid these 5 toxic ingredients commonly used in cosmetics.

1. Fragrance

If a cosmetic product's ingredients info lists "fragrance" or "parfum" as an ingredient, you might want to put it right back on the store shelf. These terms are catchall phrases that can indicate any of thousands of different chemicals, including some linked to asthma, allergies, hormone disruption, and even infertility. "The best advice is that simpler is better," Malkan says. "Choose products with fewer chemicals, avoid synthetic fragrance, and use fewer products overall, especially on kids and while pregnant."

2. Parabens

Parabens, preservative chemicals that have been linked to breast cancer, can be found in 70 to 90 percent of cosmetics, according to The David Suzuki Foundation, an organization that focuses on sustainability and health. Parabens are readily absorbed by the skin, and may even interfere with a man's reproductive system. Avoid any ingredient with "paraben" in the word, including methylparaben.

3. Triclosan

Triclosan is an antimicrobial chemical linked to thyroid damage and partially blamed for the rise in hard-to-kill superbugs like MRSA. It's a common ingredient in antimicrobial soaps, but some cosmetic companies sneak it into lipstick and other products, too. Look for triclosan on ingredient labels, and particularly on labels making claims of being antimicrobial or germ free.

4. Formaldehyde-Releasing Preservatives

Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen, something you definitely don't want to be applying to your body. The problem is, many common preservatives in cosmetics and personal care products mix with other ingredients and start releasing formaldehyde. Ingredients like DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, methenamine, quaternium-15, and sodium hydroxymethylglycinate should be avoided; doing so will protect you from formaldehyde exposure.

5. Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Other PEG Compounds

Sodium laureth sulfate is a foaming agent used in shampoos and facial scrubs and to help your skin absorb lotions and other cosmetics. It's commonly contaminated with potential and proven cancer causers like 1,4-dioxane and ethylene oxide, and products listed as PEG or polyethylene glycol often face carcinogenic contamination problems. Used in many cream-based cosmetics and as moisture carriers, other PEG ingredients should be avoided whenever possible.

When you shop, use these easy ways to find safer cosmetics and avoid the nasty stuff:

• Befriend this detailed database. This website will change your life, and for the better. Search Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep cosmetics database to check the safety of your current products, and to seek out safer products. Malkan recommends opting for products with scores ranging from 0 to 2, the safest picks. In addition, look for the Campaign for Safer Cosmetics' Champion Companies, organizations that pledge to disclose all ingredients and to avoid chemicals banned in other countries.

• Do your homework when it comes to "natural" makeup. For food to be labeled organic, farmers and food manufacturers need to follow strict laws. That's not yet true in the cosmetics industry, meaning there aren't regulations to keep products from using label terms like "natural" or "organic" when they actually contain harmful ingredients. The exception? If you see an actual USDA organic logo on a personal care product, it does indicate it has been made following strict organic standards. Without that logo, you should still read ingredient labels thoroughly and investigate the product on the Skin Deep database.

• Look for less-tainted lipstick. With the latest proof that many lipsticks contain lead, be particularly wary of this type of makeup. "Lead builds up in the body over time and lead-containing lipstick applied several times a day, every day, can add up to significant exposure levels," explains Mark Mitchell, MD, MPH, policy advisor of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice and cochair of the Environmental Health Task Force for the National Medical Association.

Check the FDA lead-in-lipstick test results to look for brands with lower levels. As an added measure, you can call your favorite brand's manufacturer and ask if the company has a policy in place to protect against lead contamination in cosmetic products.

Source: http://www.rodale.com/safe-cosmetics-0?cm_mmc=ABCNews-_-Top%204%20Moisturizers%20For%20Dry%20Skin-_-Article-_-5%20Things%20That%20Should%20Never%20Be%20In%20Your%20Makeup%20RL

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This document is provided for reference purposes only and not necessarily reflect the opinion of bynaturael’s team . Train your mind to test every thought and keep on searching the final truth that satisfies the conscience inside you. Please visit our blog: bynaturael.blogspot.com

FDA Is Urged to Ban Carbon-Monoxide-Treated Meat

By Rick Weiss

Washington Post Staff Writer

Monday, February 20, 2006

Picture two steaks on a grocer's shelf, each hermetically sealed in clear plastic wrap. One is bright pink, rimmed with a crescent of pearly white fat. The other is brown, its fat the color of a smoker's teeth.

Which do you reach for?

The meat industry knows the answer, which is why it has quietly begun to spike meat packages with carbon monoxide.

The gas, harmless to health at the levels being used, gives meat a bright pink color that lasts weeks. The hope is that it will save the industry much of the $1 billion it says it loses annually from having to discount or discard meat that is reasonably fresh and perfectly safe but no longer pretty.

But the growing use of carbon monoxide as a "pigment fixative" is alarming consumer advocates and others who say it deceives shoppers who depend on color to help them avoid spoiled meat. Those critics are challenging the Food and Drug Administration and the nation's powerful meat industry, saying the agency violated its own rules by allowing the practice without a formal evaluation of its impact on consumer safety.

"This meat stays red and stays red and stays red," said Don Berdahl, vice president and laboratory director at Kalsec Foods in Kalamazoo, Mich., a maker of natural food extracts that has petitioned the FDA to ban the practice.

If nothing else, Berdahl and others say, carbon-monoxide-treated meat should be labeled so consumers will know not to trust their eyes.

The legal offensive has the meat industry seeing red. Officials deny their foes' claim that carbon monoxide is a "colorant" -- a category that would require a full FDA review -- saying it helps meat retain its naturally red color.

Besides, industry representatives say, color is a poor indicator of freshness as meat turns brown from exposure to oxygen long before it goes bad.

"When a product reaches the point of spoilage, there will be other signs that will be evidenced -- for example odor, slime formation and a bulging package -- so the product will not smell or look right," said Ann Boeckman, a lawyer with the Washington law firm Hogan & Hartson. It represents Precept Foods LLC, a joint venture between Cargill Meat Solutions Corp. and Hormel Foods Corp. that helped pioneer the technology.

Much is at stake. The U.S. market in "case ready" meats -- those packaged immediately after slaughter, eliminating the need for butchers at grocery stores -- is approaching $10 billion and growing, said Steve Kay of Cattle Buyers Weekly, which tracks the industry from Petaluma, Calif. Tyson Foods, for example -- one of three meat packagers that has received a green light from the FDA to use carbon monoxide -- just opened a $100 million plant in Texas to churn out more case-ready "modified atmosphere" packaged meats, Kay said.

No one knows how much carbon-monoxide-treated meat is being sold; the companies involved are privately held or keep that information secret. But the potential is seen as great. The new technology "will finally make this the case-ready revolution, rather than the case-ready evolution," said Mark Klein, director of communications for Cargill's meat business.

It is a revolution some want stopped in its tracks.

"We feel it's a huge consumer right-to-know issue," said Donna Rosenbaum of Safe Tables Our Priority, an advocacy group in Burlington, Vt., created after four children died and hundreds became sick after eating tainted hamburgers from Jack in the Box restaurants in 1992 and 1993. Last month, the Burlington group and the Consumer Federation of America wrote to the FDA in support of a ban.

At the core of the issue is how the FDA has assessed companies' requests to use carbon monoxide in their packaging.

It started about five years ago, when Pactiv Corp. of Lake Forest, Ill., urged the FDA to declare the approach "generally recognized as safe," or GRAS -- a regulatory category that allows a firm to proceed with its plans without public review or formal agency "approval."

The FDA told Pactiv in 2002 it had no argument with the proposal. In 2004, Precept Foods received a similar letter, and recently Tyson did as well.

The FDA has also deemed carbon monoxide GRAS for keeping tuna looking fresh.

Kalsec acknowledges having an economic interest in fighting the practice. The company sells extracts of rosemary and other natural essences that help block the oxidation that turns meat brown. Its products have allowed meat packagers to use high-oxygen atmospheres in sealed packages to maintain freshness without having to worry about browning.

That is a market that could largely disappear as packagers switch to low-oxygen atmospheres with carbon monoxide -- an approach that keeps meat looking red not just longer, but almost indefinitely.

But Kalsec, and the consumer advocates who have signed on to the fight, say it is not just the market in extracts that is at risk.

They note that the European Union has banned the use of carbon monoxide as a color stabilizer in meat and fish. A December 2001 report from the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Food concluded that the gas (whose chemical abbreviation is "CO") did not pose a risk as long as food was kept cold enough during storage and transport to prevent microbial growth. But should the meat become inadvertently warmer at some point, it warned, "the presence of CO may mask visual evidence of spoilage."

How is it, Berdahl and others ask, that something can be deemed "generally recognized as safe" when there is enough scientific debate over the issue to warrant a ban in Europe?

"I just picture a refrigerator truck breaking down in Arizona and sitting there for an afternoon. Then, 'Hey, we got it repaired and nobody knows the difference,' and there you go."

Opponents also say the FDA was wrong to consider carbon monoxide a color fixative rather than a color additive -- a crucial decision because additives must pass a rigorous FDA review. They note that freshly cut meat looks purplish red, and that the addition of carbon monoxide -- which binds to a muscle protein called myoglobin -- turns it irreversibly pink.

Proponents of the gas counter that meat turns from purple to red just from sitting in air, and that CO prevents the next step, in which meats turn brown. They also say consumers should pay attention to "sell or freeze by" dates as the best indicator of freshness.

George H. Pauli, associate director for science and policy in the FDA's Office of Food Additive Safety, defended the agency's decisions. "In general, statute says you cannot use [substances] in a deceptive manner, and the question is what is a deceptive manner," Pauli said.

He emphasized that the agency has never formally approved the gas's use, but rather looked at information provided by the companies and decided not to object.

"We said, 'Thank you, you've helped inform us,' " Pauli said.

That is what has opponents most upset.

"The FDA should not have accepted carbon monoxide in meat without doing its own independent evaluation of the safety implications," Elizabeth Campbell, former head of the FDA's office of food labeling, wrote in a statement released in November.

Bucky Gwartney, executive director for research and knowledge management for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, chafes at the idea that the industry is trying to fool consumers.

"It would be ludicrous for a company to adopt a process that would undermine what we all want, which is to assure that food is safe," Gwartney said. "Maybe it needs to be more transparent and public," he acknowledged. "If that's what we need to do, we'll probably do that as an industry."

Research editor Lucy Shackelford contributed to this report.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/19/AR2006021901101.html

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This document is provided for reference purposes only and not necessarily reflect the opinion of bynaturael’s team . Train your mind to test every thought and keep on searching the final truth that satisfies the conscience inside you. Please visit our blog: bynaturael.blogspot.com

Will changing my diet help me to sleep better?

New studies have claimed links between the way we eat and the way we rest at night

 Luisa Dillner

The Guardian, Monday 18 February 2013

We are what we eat, and now researchers are saying that our diet affects how we sleep. A study, published in the journal Appetite, found differences in the diets of people who slept for seven to eight hours a night compared with those snoozing for five. Since less sleep is associated with high blood pressure, poorer blood-glucose control (increasing the risk of diabetes) and obesity (as is more sleep in some studies), shouldn't we eat the foods that are most likely to help us sleep a healthy amount? And does anyone know what foods these are?

The solution

 The study in Appetite used data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and found that those who slept the standard seven to eight hours ate the greatest variety of foods. Those who slept the least (less than five hours) drank less water, took in less vitamin C, had less selenium (found in nuts, meat and shellfish) but ate more green, leafy vegetables. Longer sleep was associated with more carbohydrates, alcohol and less choline (found in eggs and fatty meats) and less theorbomine (found in chocolate and tea). The researchers took into account other factors such as obesity, physical activity and income, and still found these differences in diet.

They concluded that both long (nine hours-plus) and short sleep are associated with less varied diets but say they don't know if changing diet would affect how long we sleep for. The study shows only an association, although the link with short and long sleep both being "unhealthy" holds true with a 2011 review of evidence about the length of sleep and risk of heart disease.

The evidence on what diet would help us sleep best isn't clear. It is also not evident how much individual preferences for sleep – some like to sleep longer than others – affect these results. But there is more research on the relationship between sleep and weight, with studies showing the shorter the amount of sleep a person has, the hungrier they feel.

A German study presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior last year showed that after just one night of sleep disruption the volunteers in the study were less energetic (so used up fewer calories) but hungrier. The researchers said their volunteers also had raised blood levels of ghrelin, a hormone linked to the feeling of hunger. A commentary a few months later in the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association backed this association, saying that while encouraging a weight-loss regime of eating less, moving more and sleeping more might be too simplistic, diets were helped by good amounts of high‑quality sleep

So while no one knows what foods will stop you waking up at 5am, you won't go wrong with a more varied diet and a sensible bedtime.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/feb/18/can-diet-help-sleep-better

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Forget superfoods, you can't beat an apple a day

The craze for exotic, expensive foods is not backed up by science, warn leading dieticians

Amelia Hill, social affairs correspondent

The Observer, Sunday 13 May 2007

Blueberries began the superfood trend. The hype continued with pomegranates, acai berries and seaweed. Now a long list of expensive and exotic foods has been credited with health-enhancing and memory-boosting qualities.

With each announcement, sales have leapt, superfood cookbooks have multiplied and supermarkets have rushed to meet demand, offering a year-round supply of items once available in only the most hardcore of health food shops.

But the reputation of superfoods is under attack. Experts say people would do as well to eat an orange or an apple as expensive foods that may be dense in 'micronutrients' - tiny amounts of essential vitamins and minerals, for instance - but which add little to well-being.

Jeremy Spencer, of Reading University, will launch a major debate on the growth of superfoods at the Science Museum's Dana Centre this week. He believes some claims about specific health benefits are untenable. 'Not only is it completely misleading to break a food down into its component parts and study those one by one, but it is impossible to predict the reactions of individual metabolisms to specific foods,' Spencer said. 'Apart from the fact that the effect of the whole food may be more, or quite different, from the sum of its parts, it is impossible to say each person will have the same physiological result.'

He added: 'People don't eat nutrients, they eat foods. And foods can behave very differently to the nutrients they contain and they can have a very different effect in someone's body than they have when examined in a test tube.'

Other leading diet experts agree. 'The term "superfoods" is at best meaningless and at worst harmful,' said Catherine Collins, chief dietician at St George's Hospital in London. 'There are so many wrong ideas about superfoods that I don't know where best to begin to dismantle the whole concept.'

Just because certain foods are bursting with a particular vitamin or nutrient does not mean they will be especially good for you, Collins said. 'It might seem that eating foods rich in nutrients is just common sense, but the truth is that our bodies have a requirement for sufficient nutrients,' she added.

'If our bodies have an excess of nutrients and cannot store them, they will essentially go to waste. Or, more worryingly, if certain nutrients can't be excreted in sufficient levels, they could cause serious cellular damage. Overloading our bodies is not a healthy or natural thing to do.'

Not only is there no scientific definition of a superfood, but the concept itself could be harmful. 'Nominating some foods as nutritional talismans gives the impression that ordinary, affordable and everyday foods are somehow deficient,' she said. 'But rather than spend £5 on a small punnet of exotic berries, a family would be better off buying regular and larger quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables from their local market.

'On a restricted budget, it is even more important to ignore dubious, expensive products in the belief you can take short cuts to a good diet. Rather than buying some ridiculous African algae, with all the CO2 emissions associated with travel, eating a cheap British apple would be better for the environment too.'

Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, agreed. 'If you're concerned about your health, then you should probably avoid food products that make health claims,' he said. 'Why? Because the whole ideology of superfoods is misleading, for consumers and scientists alike.'

Most nutritional science, said Pollan, involves studying one nutrient at a time. 'The problem with nutrient-by-nutrient science is that it takes the nutrient out of the context of food, the food out of the context of diet, and the diet out of the context of lifestyle,' he said.

Spencer points to the case of beta carotene which, eaten in its natural form, appears to work as an anti-oxidant, killing the free radicals in our bodies which can damage DNA and initiate cancers. When the compound was separated by scientists and ingested as a dietary supplement, however, it was found to increase the risk of certain cancers.

The answer, said Collins, is to eat as balanced, varied and unprocessed a diet as possible. 'People should not look for individual superfoods, but try to eat a "super diet",' she said. 'A Mediterranean diet, with its balance of food groups, is very close to the perfect diet.

'It is the only diet which has been the subject of prolonged and serious scientific investigation.'

Myths exploded:

Berries

Claim: The superfood of the century. Packed with essential nutrients, berries have been labelled as the best food to help brain development, higher IQ, energy and boost immunity against infection.

Reality: There is no published evidence supporting the role of berries in IQ. They do contain folic acid, though this appears across a wide range of plant-based foods.

Pomegranate juice

Claim: Pomegranates contain plant anti-oxidant called polyphenols, a major polyphenol antioxidant being ellagic acid, a supposed anti-carcinogen. Pomegranates are widely claimed to have eight times the anti-oxidant potential of tea.

Reality: Consuming a modest 180ml serving of pomegranate juice leads to an increase in blood anti-oxidant levels for one hour, but it is rapidly removed from the blood.

Seaweed

Claim: A so-called nutrient powerhouse that stimulates the immune system, boosts brain power and guards against dermatitis, obesity, heavy metal poisoning, depression, congestion and anaemia.

Reality: The nutrients in seaweeds are found in all green vegetables. In addition, seaweed produces natural toxins called microcystins that can cause liver damage in humans and are thought to be potentially carcinogenic.

Wheatgrass

Claims: A blood cleanser and detoxifier attributed to both the 'natural plant enzymes' and the chlorophyll content of the freshly-juiced grass, claimed to 'detoxify the body'. Wheatgrass does contain the anti-oxidant apigenin.

Reality: The commonly held assumption that a 30ml shot of wheatgrass juice is nutritionally equivalent to a kilogram of vegetables is a complete myth. A floret or two of broccoli, or a tablespoon of spinach, contain more folic acid and vitamin C than 30ml of wheatgrass juice. Chlorophyll is not absorbed into the body (or else we would all look an attractive shade of green), and its supposed high levels are no higher than other green vegetables.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/may/13/health.healthandwellbeing1

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Aging Skin: 7 Habits That Make Skin Age Faster

These lifestyle choices contribute to aging skin

From Sharon O'Brien, former About.com Guide

 Many of the external causes of aging skin are determined by the health and lifestyle decisions you make every day. Making unhealthy choices can cause prematurely aging skin, and this makes you look older, faster.

An important part of any anti-aging skin care program is to know what you may be doing that is harming your skin and speeding up your skin's aging process.

Here are 7 habits that contribute to aging skin, making you look older than your years:

1.   Cigarette smoke: Whether you smoke, or you spend time with a smoker, cigarette smoke is damaging -- and aging -- to your skin. Research has shown that exposure to cigarette smoke significantly increases skin wrinkles and dryness. This is partly due to the behavior of smoking, and also because cigarette smoke depletes your body of Vitamin C, which is a key ingredient for keeping skin plump and moist.

Some researchers believe that exposure to cigarette smoke (whether you smoke or not) is as damaging to aging skin as exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays.

2.   Sun exposure: Sun exposure is very aging to skin. Unprotected skin that is exposed to the sun becomes more mottled in appearance. Freckles can turn into brown sun spots, the skin takes on a dry, leathery appearance, and wrinkles and sagging increase. The risk of skin cancer is significantly increased by sun exposure.

The good news is that sun damage is avoidable, and if you start now, you can improve the condition of sun damaged skin.

·         See your health care provider to assess the amount of sun damage you may have, and to rule out possible skin cancers. He or she may be able to prescribe medication that can help to reduce existing sun damage.

·         If you want to avoid aging skin but don’t want to avoid the sun, make sure you use sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays. Choose sunscreen with SPF of 15 or higher, and use it all year-round, even on cloudy days. Clouds do not protect you from ultraviolet ray exposure.

3.   Lack of exercise: Living a sedentary life contributes to aging skin, because exercise helps to tone your muscles and get your blood flowing. Exercise should be an important part of every anti-aging skin care program. Researchers have also discovered that sedentary older adults are at higher risk for dementia .

In addition to the physical benefits of exercise, the benefits of a regular exercise program will show on your face. Having a bright smile and lots of energy will help you look and feel younger, at any age.

4.   Exposure to cold weather: Cold winds and low temperatures contribute to aging skin by making skin dry, so if you venture out in the cold be sure to use a good moisturizer.

It’s important to use moisturizer indoors too, as heated rooms can be very drying to skin. Consider using a humidifier to help keep your skin more comfortable and reduce the aging skin effects of heated rooms.

5.   Alcohol use: Alcohol contributes to aging skin by dilating small blood vessels in the skin and increasing blood flow near the skin's surface. Over time, these blood vessels can become permanently damaged, creating a flushed appearance and broken vessels on the skin’s surface.

6.   Stress: Maybe you’ve heard this expression: “Don’t frown, your face could stay that way.” Stress and worry cause frowning, and over time the muscles in the face actually conform to that movement.

To help reduce aging skin due to stress, be aware of your stress level and try to vary your facial expressions during the day. A good anti-aging skin care program should include meditation, yoga, gentle exercise or other relaxation techniques. Keeping stress in check -- and frown lines and aging skin wrinkles to a minimum -- will help you look and feel younger.

7.   Lack of sleep: Too little sleep makes you look and feel tired. One of the first places lack up sleep shows up is on the face, with dark circles and bags under the eyes, and sagging skin. Lack of sleep is also a major factor in memory loss and symptoms of depression that include low interest in daily activities and negative thinking.

Research has shown that most adults function best with 8-9 hours of sleep each night. Reduce caffeine during the day (with none in the evening), avoid eating at least 2 hours before bedtime, and maintain a sleep routine that includes going to bed at the same time each night. For more sleeping tips, see How to Get a Good Night's Sleep.

If you are having trouble sleeping, for any reason, it’s important to see your health care provider.

While some signs of aging skin are inevitable, there’s a lot you can do to look your best at any age. Taking good care of yourself is the most important step in your anti-aging skin care program.

Source: http://seniorliving.about.com/od/healthnutrition/a/7agingskincause.htm

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Tide of seaweed promises can ebb and flow

May 24, 2012|By Karen Ravn, Special to the Los Angeles Times

Seaweed can shrink your waistline. Grow your hair. Bring down your blood pressure along with your blood sugar. Build up the strength of your bones and your brain. Make your joints stop aching and your bowels get moving. Give cancer short shrift, and give cellulite and wrinkles the old heave-ho.

That is, if you believe the hype — only some of which is backed up by reliable evidence.

The data are strongest that seaweed can reduce inflammation, premenstrual syndrome symptoms and even the growth of tumors (in animals), says Dr. Mary Hardy, a nutrition and food supplement expert at UCLA.

Dr. Karthik Krishnamurthy, a dermatologist at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, also cites the widespread use of alginate, a component of seaweed, in wound dressings that yield excellent healing results.

But overall, they and many other doctors, including those at the National Institutes of Health, are reserving judgment. "Seaweed is really big right now," Krishnamurthy says. "Still, a lot of claims about it are unfounded at this time. I hope something comes of it, but we're not there yet."

Others, though, are already convinced of at least some of the powers of seaweed. Lydia Sarfati, in fact, was convinced more than 30 years ago, and she founded the skin care company Repechage, which offers 167 products, all seaweed-based.

Known to many as "the queen of seaweed," Sarfati says, "I know what I've done for thousands of women, women in their 60s who still look beautiful, without surgery."

So what to do? Hold your sea horses until more is known? Or jump on the seaweed bandwagon — along with Katherine Heigl, Ashley Olsen and Madonna, just for examples. Heigl is a fan of Repechage's Triple Firming Cream, and Olsen has visited the company's New York City spa for seaweed-based skin and body treatments.

From the experts, here are some pros and cons to keep in mind.

As a food

The upside:  Seaweed is loaded with all sorts of substances that make it good-for-you eating: vitamins, minerals, fiber, high-quality protein, and omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. (Seaweed can have up to 10 times as much calcium as milk.)

Seaweed is available reasonably readily — in Asian restaurants (in soup or salad or wrapped around your sushi) and in Asian and other specialty markets (fresh or dried or in snack foods).

The downside: "It's an acquired taste," says Miriam Pappo, director of clinical nutrition at Montefiore Medical Center. And if perchance you have a hard time acquiring the taste, you're also likely to have a hard time eating enough to actually affect your health.

As a supplement

The upside: This is an easy way to get a lot of seaweed.

The downside: There are thousands of species of seaweed, ranging from edible to poisonous, Krishnamurthy warns, and since supplements don't require FDA approval, you can't always be sure what you're buying. "Anyone can go get seaweed, mix it up, grind it up and sell it," he says.

Even supplements made from the safest of seaweeds can present dangers by possibly giving you too much of a good thing. For instance, the iodine in seaweed is considered a big plus -- up to a point. After all, getting too little iodine can cause thyroid problems (and can be especially serious for pregnant women and their fetuses). Unfortunately, getting too much iodine, a possibility with a seaweed supplement, is another way to throw your thyroid out of whack.

Besides these specific concerns, Pappo has a broader one: "The longer I work, the more I believe in the benefits of eating food and the less I believe in taking supplements."

In skin care products

The upside: Evidence is pretty reliable that seaweed's anti-inflammatory properties can be helpful with acne and rosacea, Krishnamurthy says.

Others believe that seaweed is also a potent weapon in the war on wrinkles. Seaweed is a pure concentration of sea water, Sarfati says, and like sea water it's similar in composition to human plasma. So the skin can be rehydrated by this "sister substance," making it "plump, smooth, without wrinkles."

The downside:  Like supplements, seaweed-based skin care products are not regulated by the FDA, so you can't always be sure what you're getting. There's a risk of severe allergic reactions associated with some kinds of seaweed, Krishnamurthy says, "And there you are rubbing it all over your face."

The verdict

Many are true believers in the wonders of seaweed. Sarfati's faith was born during a visit to Israel 33 years ago when she marveled at how fresh the food tasted and how beautiful it looked. Told that this amazing produce was grown with seaweed fertilizer, she had an idea: Perhaps seaweed could have the same enhancing effect on people's skin. And, she now says, she was absolutely right.

Others remain seaweed agnostics. "The only broad statement I can make," Krishnamurthy says, "is that I can't make any broad statement."

Source: http://articles.latimes.com/print/2012/may/24/health/la-he-seaweed-20120524

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This document is provided for reference purposes only and not necessarily reflect the opinion of bynaturael’s team . Train your mind to test every thought and keep on searching the final truth that satisfies the conscience inside you. Please visit our blog: bynaturael.blogspot.com