June2008
| Feature How to revitalize dry, wrinkled skin Updates Cod liver oil: help for painful joints Vitamin protects athletes: study | Briefs |
Howto revitalize dry, wrinkled skin
Are you hoping to maintain or recapture supple,youthful-looking skin and decrease wrinkles and dryness? While some topicaltreatments may offer benefits, addressing skin health from the outside can onlygo so far. For real, lasting and noticeable change to occur in our skin,research reveals we require two critical nutrients proven to stimulate collagenformation and improve skin hydration.
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| While topical treatments may help, feeding the skin's collagen structure can provide lasting, noticeable results. |
What's happening?
Moisture loss in the skin begins as early as our 20s, andUV exposure only speeds this dehydration. It is increased again when estrogenlevels start to decline during perimenopause andmenopause. Skin dehydration is associated with scaly, taut skin, superficiallines and wrinkles, and premature aging.
Collagen, the protein at the base of our skin structure,binds with water, so it helps keep our skin hydrated, supple and smooth. If thecollagen structure is strong, tightly bound and able to hold water, the skinappears healthy and taut. If it is weak, sparse and lacking water, the skinappears unhealthy and wrinkled.
Silicon: the lost nutrient
The link between
Researchers have witnessed the power of silicon in thelab, where they found that enriching tissue samples with
The vitamin C connection
Like silica, vitamin C is critical for collagenformation. Back in 1981, researchers exposed human connective tissue cells tovitamin C and reported an 8-fold increase in the synthesis of collagen! Morerecently in 2007, a study involving 4,025 women aged 40 to 74 years revealedthat those with higher vitamin C intakes had a lower likelihood of a wrinkledappearance and skin dryness.
Humans cannot manufacture
Ensuring your body has what it needs to rebuild ormaintain its vital collagen structure is the first and most important steptowards healthy, supple and youthful-looking skin.
Sources: J IntMed Res, 1993 Jul-Aug;21(4):209-15; Encyclopedia ofNutritional Supplements by M
Cod liver oil: help for painful joints
Taking cod liver oil to relieve arthritis and joint painis a well known folk remedy, but one that may have some scientific merit,according to researchers from
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| Pain scores and drug use dropped with cod liver oil. |
In the study, 97 people taking NSAIDswere randomly assigned to receive either 10 grams (10 capsules) of a cod liveroil/fish oil blend or placebo capsules. The researchers found that after 9months, 19 out of 49 people in the cod liver oil group were able to decreasetheir daily NSAID dose by more than 30%, compared with only 5 out 48 people inthe placebo group. They also noted a significant improvement in pain scores inthe cod liver oil group compared with the placebo group.
"Fish oil supplementation should be considered inrheumatoid arthritis patients to help them reduce their NSAID intake in orderto attenuate the risks of gastrointestinal and cardiovascular adverse eventsassociated with these drugs," said researcher Dr. BernatGalarraga.
NSAIDs, commonlyprescribed to arthritis sufferers, come with some concern about side effectssuch as gastrointestinal bleeding and cardiovascular events.
Source: Rheumatology 2008
Vitamin protects athletes: study
Strenuous exercise, while beneficial for overall fitnessand health, can have a downside: lipid peroxidation.This refers to damage to cell membranes caused by free radicals generatedduring strenuous exercise. Researchers say that lipid peroxidationnot only causes muscle soreness, but may also be linked to the progression ofdegenerative diseases (cardiovascular disease and cancer) and reduction inimmune system function.
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| Hard exercise can have a downside... |
Iranian researchers at
According to the researchers, supplementation withvitamin C "prevented endurance exercise-induced lipid peroxidationand muscle damage."
Source: J Sports Med Phys Fitness,2008; 48(2): 217-24
New hope for prostate cancer?
By causing a specific gene to increase a key enzyme,vitamin D protects healthy prostate cells from the damage and injuries that canlead to cancer, University of Rochester Medical Center researchers report.
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| "It can prevent prostate cancer from happening," said one researcher. |
"Many epidemiological studies have suggested the beneficialproperties of vitamin D," said Yi-Fen Lee, associate professor of urology."Our findings reflect what we see in those studies and demonstrate thatvitamin D not only can be used as a therapy for prostate cancer, it can preventprostate cancer from happening."
Lee and her research team discovered one mechanisminvolving vitamin D that protects cells from oxidative stress. The vitamin Dused in the study is D3, the most potent and active form of vitamin D in thehuman body.
Normal metabolism in cells generates free radicals.Exposure to some chemicals or forms of radiation can produce high levels offree radicals that can damage DNA and play a role in speeding aging or causingcancer.
Lee found that vitamin D increased activity of an enzymethat helps clear cells of free radicals, the molecules that can damage andinjure cells.
"If you reduce DNA damage, you reduce the risk ofcancer or aging," Lee said. "Our study adds one more beneficialeffect of taking a vitamin D supplement. Taking a supplement is especiallyimportant for senior citizens and others who might have less circulation of
Source: University of
Stressed and tired? Try green tea
According to Japanese researchers from Osaka CityUniversity Graduate School of Medicine, taking a supplement of the green teacompound EGCG may help offset the signs of physical and mental fatigueassociated with a stressful lifestyle.
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| Compounds in green tea may help combat the effects of fatigue and stress. |
In their animal model, taking the tea compound for fivedays reduced levels of oxidised species related tofatigue.
"Acute fatigue is a normal phenomenon thatdisappears after a period of rest. In contrast, the effects of accumulatedfatigue are sometimes irreversible, and the compensation mechanisms that areuseful in reducing acute fatigue are no longer effective," said leadauthor Masaaki Tanaka.
Green tea and its extracts have been growing inpopularity among consumers and researchers alike, as studies show protectiveeffects against Alzheimer's and certain cancers, as well as improvements inheart and oral. Other research points to a positive role inweight management.
Tanaka and co-researchers found that rats subjected tostress, who were also given
"We demonstrated that oral administration of
Source: Nutrition. 2008 Jun
Strict diet helps arthritis patients
A gluten-free vegan diet may improve the health of patientswith rheumatoid arthritis, according to new research from the Swedish medical
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Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with an increased riskof atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and cardiovascular diseases.
The protective effect was seen when a group of patientswho kept to a gluten-free vegan diet for a year were compared with a controlgroup which had followed ordinary dietary advice.
Vegan food had a positive effect on symptoms of thedisease, which were more pronounced in the control group. Blood levels of
"Our findings suggest a new mechanism by which thelevel of natural protective antibodies can be increased. They also show thatdiet can have effects on the immune system with implications for the incidenceof disease," says Professor Johan Frostegård,who led the study.
Source: KarolinskaInstitutet, Mar 18, 2008
