Vitamin C and Skin Health

Posted on June 8, 2012 by admin

By Hannah Leinbach Callaway / Intern
What more can be said about vitamin C? This already-famous vitamin is well known to be essential for our health and nutrition. For those of you who might need a refresher on this superstar vitamin, here are some quick facts, courtesy of the National Institute of Health:

• As an antioxidant, vitamin C protects our cells from being damaged.
• Vitamin C helps the body to make collagen, a protein that is essential for healing wounds.
• Vitamin C improves iron absorption.
• To maintain a strong immune system, take the suggested dose of vitamin C.
• Adult males require 90 mg of vitamin C per day and adult females require 75mg.
• Vitamin C can be found primarily in citrus fruits, as well as in other fruits and vegetables (such as strawberries, tomatoes, and broccoli).
• Research shows that an adequate intake of vitamin C helps to reduce the risk of  cardiovascular diseases, cataracts, and many other medical conditions.

Did you know that vitamin C is also good for your skin? Other antioxidants usually steal the spotlight when it comes to skincare, but recent research shows that vitamin C can lead to improved skin protection and regeneration.  In a study conducted at the Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology, subjects who took the recommended amount of vitamin C experienced less skin damage from UV rays and enjoyed overall healthier skin. Vitamin C also assists in anti-aging efforts, helping to ease wrinkles and other signs of aging. This vitamin increases the synthesis of collagen in the body and leads to prolonged vitality.
Vitamin C can be absorbed through certain foods (see above) and supplements, but can also be applied topically. With a high enough vitamin C concentration, some products can immediately affect your skin after gently rubbing a small amount on the surface. Lip treatments and moisturizers are particularly popular.

Read More

12 Ways to Burn Fat Fast

The ultimate tip list to losing weight and keeping it off.

MF Editors Recommend

1) Eat six small meals a day. Stoking your body with food every three to four hours can rev your metabolism to the max.
2) Run 10 100-yard sprints and burn up to 500 calories.
3) Wait 20 minutes before going for seconds.
4) Throw on a hoodie before working out. When your muscles are warm, you actually burn more calories.
5) Use a smaller dinner plate—it’ll limit how much you can pile on.
6) Use a blue dinner plate. Studies show the color has an appetite- suppressing effect (as opposed to red and yellow plates).
7) Sub in nonfat Greek yogurt for mayo and sour cream—you’ll save 700 cals and 100 cals per half cup, respectively.
8) Eat peanuts from their shells. You’ll nosh on 50% fewer nuts in a sitting just trying to peel before eating.
9) Chew on sugar-free mint gum after a meal. Mint flavors send signals to your brain that it’s time to stop eating.
10) Snack on pistachios instead of pretzels.

11) Take up power yoga. You can burn up to 344 calories a class.
12) Train fasted once a week. This helps the body to keep adrenaline high and blood sugar low.

Read More

Is Fox Meat Dangerous to Eat?

MF Editors Recommend

For carnivores, 2013 was a year to forget. In Eastern Europe, for instance, they discovered a secret ingredient for "Bolognese surprise" and solved the horse overpopulation problem in one fell swoop (to the chagrin of Romanian retailers, the black beauty burger never caught on). Unfortunately, 2014 is shaping up to be just as shocking and weird thanks to China.
5 Ways the World Got Worse in 2013 >>>
According to Reuters, Walmart has recalled much of its "five spice" donkey meat (a favorite treat in parts of northern China) from several of its stores when DNA tests revealed that the donkey meat wasn't just donkey. Apparently fox meat was found in the mix as well, leaving many customers enraged and baffled. Evidently the pelting business in China found a great way to maximize their profits, selling the skinned fox carcasses to food suppliers for cheap.
Bulk Up With This Iced Coffee Protein Shake>>>
Walmart posted an online apology on Weibo, China's Twitter, saying that it would reimburse consumers who had bought the tainted meat and launch an investigation to get to the root of the problem in its supply chain. (Walmart is playing especially nice, as the retailer has plans to open 101 new stores in China).

According to the UK's Telegraph, fox meat shouldn't raise any health alarms. While not a popular item anywhere—and most people will object to eating it on moral grounds—it "is considered edible" and "is even sold in at least one British butcher" as a "lean alternative to common meats." It's quite tough, apparently, which is why the folks at Livestrong suggest brining it before combining it "with hearty greens and whole grains for a healthy meal.

Read More

Alcohol Kills 80,000 People Every Year

Alcohol kills 80,000 people every year in the Western Hemisphere.
The journal Addiction has published a study that says about 79.456 deaths in the Americas every year are directly caused by health complications related to drinking. Liver disease seemed to be the main culprit. Men were found to be three times as likely to die from drinking too much than women in the U.S. [EurekAlert]
Copycats beat out innovators when it comes to success.
Consider this pitch next time you’ve got a big interview: “Well I wouldn’t call myself a guy with big ideas, more like a guy who takes your ideas and makes them way better.” According to research from Indiana University, problem solving is most effective when a team is composed of copycats who learn, imitate, and improve upon one another's work style. "Imitators often make their own improvements to the original solution, and these can, in turn, be adopted and improved upon by the originator and others,” said study co-author Thomas Wisdom in a press release.[EurekAlert]
Micro windmills could power your smartphone.
UT Arlington researchers have designed tiny windmills that could recharge your phone. The mini powerhouses measure only 1.8mm at their widest point, but some barely compare with mosquitoes in size. The future could see innumerable tiny windmills powering all sorts of devices in homes and in public. [ScienceDaily]

What Your Smartphone Says About You>>>
Gold nano-particles developed to study viruses.
Finnish scientists have chemically modified gold to help investigate enteroviruses—nasty pathogenic buggers that are known not only to cause the flu but also other dangerous sicknesses and disorders, like heart muscle infections, paralysis, and diabetes. [EurekAlert]

Read More

How Sugar Screws with Your Brain

Fit Fix: How Sugar Screws with Your Brain

Plus more of today's top health and science headlines.

Stephen Walkiewicz | January 16th, 2014

1) Get off you rear, sitting less can drastically improve your health.
Recent Kansas State University research shows that even a little extra physical activity can have big benefits for your health. Simply standing more often than you sit could help prevent chronic diseases and improve the quality of your life in the long run. [MNT]
2) Fad blood-type diet is proven to be nonsense.
Researchers from the University of Toronto put the kibosh on a trendy diet (made popular by The New York Times best seller Eat Right for Your type) that claims your blood type should determine what you should eat. "The way an individual responds to any one of these diets has absolutely nothing to do with their blood type and has everything to do with their ability to stick to a sensible vegetarian or low-carbohydrate diet," the senior author of the study, Dr. Ahmed El-Sohemy told the press. [EurekAlert]
The Game Changer Diet>>>
3) A cure for genital herpes?
A new drug, pritelivir, might just have the power to finally wipe out the dreaded and common STD. The drug reduced breakouts of lesions to a 1.2% occurrence per day. While many drugs designed to combat genital herpes merely reduce symptoms, there's some hope that with development, priteliver will offer a final and definitive cure for the viral infection. [LiveScience]
4) A new piece in the puzzle of consciousness.
A recent discovery of quantum vibrations in "microtubles" deep within the brain could support a 20-year-old theory of consciousness postulated by math physicist Sir Roger Penrose and anesthesiologist Stuart Hameroff. [ScienceDaily]

Read More

Top 5 Reasons Why you should purify Air

Although most people take the air they breathe for granted, the quality of that air can have an enormous impact on not only your health but on other aspects of your life. The reality is that polluted air can be found everywhere. In fact, it’s not a question of whether you will be exposed to dirty air but, rather, just how much dirty air can you ultimately tolerate? Before going into the good news and bad news of the matter, it must be emphasized that this problem is best handled by being well-informed.

One should, for example, know that indoor air quality is often much worse than outdoor air quality. This is hard to fathom, considering all the toxic fumes come from factories, machines, and automobiles. The air outside, without question, can be very heavily polluted, especially on high ozone days in hot weather and in urban areas with heavy traffic. Natural processes such as carbon dioxide being consumed by plants, constantly moving air, electric thunderstorms, ultraviolet rays from the sun, etc., help to keep outdoor air clean. Indoor air, especially in well-insulated homes, not only has no place to go but can often be filled with dangerous contaminants and allergens.
How bad is indoor air? The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has posited that indoor air is one of the top 5 public health threats to Americans. This is alarming when one considers that most people spend 90% percent of their time indoors and approximately 65% of their time at home.
At home, a number of dangerous pollutants can usually be found: pollen, pet dander, cleaning solvent, glue from composite wood furniture, mold, bacteria, fungi, viruses, cosmetics, plastics, etc. At work, the pollutants that may be found can be more abundant, as well as more toxic. Nail salon workers, for example, are constantly exposed to acetone and other chemicals; construction workers were for a long time exposed to asbestos particles, which we now know are very carcinogenic; healthcare workers and patients in hospitals and nursing homes are always exposed to dangerous air-borne pathogens.
Despite all the bad news, the good news is that you can take effective measures to greatly reduce the toxicity of the air you breathe indoors. The process starts by purifying this air, either by purchasing air purifying products, or by following a few simple suggestions: don’t smoke indoors; don’t use air fresheners; clean your house assiduously; vacuum frequently; check your HVAC system regularly; change bedding often; and use HEPA air filtration wherever indicated.
In conclusion, you should purify your air for the following top 5 reasons:

1. Air purifiers will help to avoid developing one of the many medical problems associated with air pollution. These include asthma, emphysema, allergies, cardiovascular diseases, etc.
2. Cleaner, better quality air will allow for more energy at work and home activities. Polluted air can make your lungs and, ergo, the rest of your body, work harder, thus reducing your over-all energy level. This can impact your love life, your ability to enjoy entertainment, and your ability to meet work responsibilities.
3. Studies have shown that pets with furs and feathers (cats, dogs, birds, etc.) can be main contributors to indoor air pollution. Although some people develop allergies to the proteins in the saliva, feces, urine, and sweat of pets, it’s usually pet dander (tiny bits of skin most pets shed everyday) that is the culprit. Although your best bet is to permanently remove such pets from your home (especially your bedroom), you might be able to keep such pets if you follow prescribed guidelines (removing or constantly cleaning rugs, denying them access to furniture, etc.) and go about purifying your indoor air.
4. Breathing cleaner air will allow your organs (especially your lungs) to work better, usually leading in better oxygen absorption by your brain. This will help you to stay mentally keen and more energetic. This can make a significant difference for creative, family-oriented, and professional responsibility endeavors.
5. There is no question that prevention is the best medicine by far. This is especially true for children. Children and especially babies are especially susceptible to lung and physical development diseases, many of which can be brought about or worsened by indoor air pollution. Air purifiers can help reduce the medical costs for the whole family.

Read More