Health News

23 million Americans failed to get recommended colorectal cancer screenings

About 23 million American adults have failed to receive the recommended screening for colorectal cancer (CRC), according to a report today from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, researchers say people are more likely to get the potentially lifesaving tests if they are offered a choice of methods.

The proportion of U.S. adults who are up to date with their recommended CRC screenings increased from 54 percent in 2002 to 65 percent in 2012, according to the report. Researchers attribute this to an increased use of colonoscopies, in which a physician uses a flexible, lighted tube to search the rectum and entire colon for polyps and cancers – many of which can be removed during the procedure.

But during the same 10-year time period, two other recommended tests declined in use: sigmoidoscopy and high-sensitivity fecal occult blood testing (FOBT). A sigmoidoscopy is similar to a colonoscopy, but the doctor performing it uses a shorter tube to examine the rectum and lower third of the colon. With FOBT, a patient collects a small stool sample at home and mails it to a laboratory to test for traces of blood.

Many doctors recommend colonoscopy to their patients because it provides the most complete view of the colon. But it’s also the most invasive of the recommended CRC tests and requires patients to undergo a strict diet the day before screening to help empty the colon.

Research suggests patients who choose FOBT are more likely to complete the test than those who choose colonoscopy. Therefore, federal health officials suggested that doctors offer all recommended CRC tests and identify a screening strategy that their patient is most likely to follow.

Rather than viewing colonoscopy as a rite of passage for everyone reaching their 50th birthday, researchers believe more adults will get screened for CRC if they’re encouraged to choose from a menu of strategies.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends three screening options for adults in the 50 through 75 age bracket. The first option simply involves undergoing FOBT every year. The second option involves undergoing a colonoscopy every 10 years. The third option combines a sigmoidoscopy every five years with FOBT every three years.

Among adults who are up to date on their recommended CRC screening, 62 percent use colonoscopy, according to the CDC report. Just over 10 percent use FOBT, and less than 1 percent use a combination of sigmoidoscopy and FOBT.

“If someone has a strong family history of colon cancer or has polyps or a personal history of a disease such as inflammatory bowel disease, then colonoscopy is clearly preferred,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC. “However, for everyone else – and that’s the great majority of people – there is no proven benefit of one versus the other approach.”

Frieden added that the tests are not completely unrelated. For example, patients whose stool samples test positive for blood through FOBT are generally referred to undergo colonoscopies as a follow-up procedure.

Colorectal cancer claims approximately 50,000 lives in the United States each year and is the leading cause of cancer deaths among nonsmokers. However, public health officials say many of these lives could be saved through early detection if more people selected a screening plan and followed through with it.

“The best test is the test that gets done,” Frieden said.

Source: news.nom.co

Vietnam releases dengue-blocking mosquito

Nguyen Thi Yen rolls up the sleeves of her white lab coat and delicately slips her arms into a box covered by a sheath of mesh netting. Immediately, the feeding frenzy begins.

Hundreds of mosquitoes light on her thin forearms and swarm her manicured fingers. They spit, bite and suck until becoming drunk with blood, their bulging bellies glowing red. Yen laughs in delight while her so-called “pets” enjoy their lunch and prepare to mate.

The petite, grandmotherly entomologist _ nicknamed Dr. Dracula _ knows how crazy she must look to outsiders. But this is science, and these are very special bloodsuckers.

She smiles and nods at her red-hot arms, swollen and itchy after 10 minutes of feeding. She knows those nasty bites could reveal a way to greatly reduce one of the world’s most menacing infectious diseases.

All her mosquitoes have been intentionally infected with bacteria called Wolbachia, which essentially blocks them from getting dengue. And if they can’t get it, they can’t spread it to people.

New research suggests some 390 million people are infected with the virus each year, most of them in Asia. That’s about one in every 18 people on Earth, and more than three times higher than the World Health Organization’s previous estimates.

Known as “breakbone fever” because of the excruciating joint pain and hammer-pounding headaches it causes, the disease has no vaccine, cure or specific treatment. Most patients must simply suffer through days of raging fever, sweats and a bubbling rash. For those who develop a more serious form of illness, known as dengue hemorrhagic fever, internal bleeding, shock, organ failure and death can occur.

And it’s all caused by one bite from a female mosquito that’s transmitting the virus from another infected person.

So how can simple bacteria break this cycle? Wolbachia is commonly found in many insects, including fruit flies. But for reasons not fully understood, it is not carried naturally by certain mosquitoes, including the most common one that transmits dengue, the Aedes aegypti.

The germ has fascinated scientist Scott O’Neill his entire career. He started working with it about two decades ago at Yale University. But it wasn’t until 2008, after returning to his native Australia, that he had his eureka moment.

One of his research students figured out how to implant the bacteria into a mosquito so it could be passed on to future generations. The initial hope was that it would shorten the insect’s life. But soon, a hidden benefit was discovered: Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes not only died quicker but they also blocked dengue partially or entirely, sort of like a natural vaccine.

“The dengue virus couldn’t grow in the mosquito as well if the Wolbachia was present,” says O’Neill, dean of science at Monash University in Melbourne. “And if it can’t grow in the mosquito, it can’t be transmitted.”

But proving something in the lab is just the first step. O’Neill’s team needed to test how well the mosquitoes would perform in the wild. They conducted research in small communities in Australia, where dengue isn’t a problem, and the results were encouraging enough to create a buzz among scientists who have long been searching for new ways to fight the disease. After two and a half years, the Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes had overtaken the native populations and remained 95 percent dominant.

But how would it work in dengue-endemic areas of Southeast Asia? The disease swamps hospitals in the region every rainy season with thousands of sick patients, including many children, sometimes killing those who seek help too late.

The Australians tapped 58-year-old Yen at Vietnam’s National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, where she’s worked for the past 35 years. Their plan was to test the Wolbachia mosquitoes on a small island off the country’s central coast this year, with another release expected next year in Indonesia.

Just getting the mosquitoes to Tri Nguyen Island was an adventure. Thousands of tiny black eggs laid on strips of paper inside feeding boxes had to be hand-carried inside coolers on weekly flights from Hanoi, where Yen normally works, to Nha Trang, a resort city near the island. The eggs had to be kept at just the right temperature and moisture. The mosquitoes were hatched in another lab before finally being transported by boat.

Yen insisted on medical checks for all volunteer feeders to ensure they weren’t sickening her mosquitoes. She deemed vegetarian blood too weak and banned anyone recently on antibiotics, which could kill the Wolbachia.

“When I’m sleeping, I’m always thinking about them,” Yen says, hunkered over a petri dish filled with dozens of squiggling mosquito pupae. “I’m always worried about temperature and food. I take care of them same-same like baby. If they are healthy, we are happy. If they are not, we are sad.”

Recently, there have been several promising new attempts to control dengue. A vaccine trial in Thailand didn’t work as well as hoped, proving only 30 percent effective overall, but it provided higher coverage for three of the four virus strains. More vaccines are in the pipeline. Other science involves releasing genetically modified “sterile” male mosquitoes that produce no offspring, or young that die before reaching maturity, to decrease populations.

Wolbachia could end up being used in combination with these and other methods, including mosquito traps and insecticide-treated materials.

“I’ve been working with this disease now for 40-something years, and we have failed miserably,” says Duane Gubler, a dengue expert at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore who is not involved with the Wolbachia research.

“We are now coming into a very exciting period where I think we’ll be able to control the disease. I really do.”

Wolbachia also blocks other mosquito-borne diseases such as yellow fever and chikungunya, O’Neill says. Similar research is being conducted for malaria, though that’s trickier because the disease is carried by several different types of mosquitoes.

It’s unclear why mosquitoes that transmit dengue do not naturally get Wolbachia, which is found in up to 70 percent of insects in the wild. But O’Neill doesn’t believe that purposefully infecting mosquitoes will negatively impact ecosystems. He says the key to overcoming skepticism is to be transparent with research while providing independent risk analyses and publishing findings in high-caliber scientific journals.

“I think, intuitively, it makes sense that it’s unlikely to have a major consequence of introducing Wolbachia into one more species,” O’Neill says, adding that none of his work is for profit. “It’s already in millions already.”

Dengue typically comes in cycles, hitting some areas harder in different years. People remain susceptible to the other strains after being infected with one, and it is largely an urban disease with mosquitoes breeding in stagnant water.

Laos and Singapore have experienced their worst outbreaks in recent history this season. Thailand has also struggled with a large number of patients. Cases have also been reported in recent years outside tropical regions, including in the U.S. and Europe.

Vietnam has logged lower numbers this year overall, but the country’s highest dengue rate is in the province where Yen is conducting her work.

At the area’s main hospital in Nha Trang, Dr. Nguyen Dong, director of infectious diseases, says 75 of the 86 patients crammed into the open-air ward are infected with the virus.

Before jabbing his fingers into the stomach of one seriously ill patient to check for pain, he talks about how the dengue season has become much longer in recent years. And despite the government’s increased education campaigns and resources, the disease continues to overwhelm the hospital.

If the experiment going on just a short boat ride away from the hospital is successful, it eventually will be expanded across the city and the entire province.

The 3,500 people on Tri Nguyen island grew accustomed to what would be a bizarre scene almost anywhere else: For five months, community workers went house-to-house in the raging heat, releasing cups of newborn mosquitoes.

And the residents were happy to have them.

“We do not kill the mosquitoes. We let them bite,” says fisherman Tran To. “The Wolbachia living in the house is like a doctor in the house. They may bite, but they stop dengue.”

Specimens collected from traps are taken back to the lab for analysis to determine how well Wolbachia mosquitoes are infiltrating the native population.

The strain of bacteria used on the island blocks dengue 100 percent, but it’s also the hardest to sustain. At one point, 90 percent of the mosquitoes were infected, but the rate dropped to about 65 percent after the last batch was released in early September. A similar decrease occurred in Australia as well, and scientists switched to other Wolbachia strains that thrive better in the wild but have lesser dengue-blocking abilities.

The job is sure to keep Yen busy in her little mosquito lab, complete with doors covered by long overlapping netting.

And while she professes to adore these pests nurtured by her own blood, she has a much stronger motivation for working with them: Dengue nearly claimed her own life many years ago, and her career has been devoted to sparing others the same fate.

“I love them,” she says, “when I need them.”

Source: postbulletin

 

Weight loss surgery can increase pain killer dependence

Weight loss surgery can increase pain killer dependence

Initially, researchers assumed that when patients underwent weight loss surgery, they would decrease their dependence on pain medications over time. The reason for their assumption: Obese patients who shed pounds should experience a reduction in pain caused by excess weight in areas such as the knees and back. Instead, however, a new study has revealed that weight loss surgery actually may increase dependence on pain killers, reported U.S. News on October 1.

“Our premise was that because patients who are undergoing bariatric surgery were undergoing such dramatic weight loss, whatever chronic pain they were going through would be relieved and their need for medication would be reduced,” said study author Marsha Raebel, of Kaiser Permanente Colorado in Denver. “We were very surprised to find we were totally wrong. Not only did their chronic use of opioids not go down, it actually went up.”

Researchers discovered that bariatric patients who already used opioid painkillers such as OxyContin and Vicodin increased their drug intake by 13 percent during the first year after surgery. And rather than decrease their dependence as they lost more weight over time, these patients had increased their drug intake by 18 percent three years after.

In the study, which was reported in the Oct. 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers emphasized that weight loss resulting from procedures such as gastric bypass typically relieves pain linked to the stress that extra pounds place on the knees, back and other joints. But that relief did not influence how much pain medication the patients took.

“We have patients who have pain that simply doesn’t respond to weight loss,” Raebel said. “If the patient thinks that’s the reason they’re going to have bariatric surgery, there should be some counseling to explain their pain may or may not get better after surgery.”

And the experts stress that setting a goal of taking fewer chronic pain killers is essential. Since the 1980s, opioid prescriptions in the nation have quadrupled, as has accidental opioid overdose deaths.

Raebel believes that obese people actually experience pain in a different way.

“Folks who are obese are more sensitive to pain and have lower pain thresholds than people who aren’t obese,” she said. “This altered pain processing continues even after they undergo bariatric surgery.” Therefore, she thinks that their drug usage might increase to help them deal with their continued sensitivity to pain.

Bariatric physician Dr. Brian Sabowitz offered another interpretation of the study.

“Narcotics may not be absorbed the same way after a gastric bypass as they are before a gastric bypass,” said Dr. Sabowitz, who practices in San Antonio, Texas, and serves as an adjunct assistant professor of medicine for the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. “Maybe one reason narcotic use increased is because people were getting less narcotics

Source:

Statin side effects: Weigh the benefits and risks

Statin side effects: Weigh the benefits and risksDoctors often prescribe statins for people with high cholesterol to lower their total cholesterol and reduce their risk of a heart attack or stroke. Most people taking statins will take them for the rest of their lives, which can make statin side effects difficult to manage.

For some people, statin side effects can make it seem like the benefit of taking a statin isn’t worth it. Before you decide to stop taking a statin, discover how statin side effects can be reduced.

 

What are statin side effects?

Muscle pain and damage

The most common statin side effect is muscle pain. You may feel this pain as a soreness, tiredness or weakness in your muscles. The pain can be a mild discomfort, or it can be severe enough to make your daily activities difficult. For example, you might find climbing stairs or walking to be uncomfortable or tiring.

Very rarely, statins can cause life-threatening muscle damage called rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis can cause severe muscle pain, liver damage, kidney failure and death. Rhabdomyolysis can occur when you take statins in combination with certain drugs, or if you take a high dose of statins.

Liver damage

Occasionally, statin use could cause your liver to increase its production of enzymes that help you digest food, drinks and medications. If the increase is only mild, you can continue to take the drug. If the increase is severe, you may need to stop taking the drug, which usually reverses the problem. Your doctor might suggest a different statin.

If left unchecked, increased liver enzymes may lead to permanent liver damage. Certain other cholesterol-lowering drugs, such as gemfibrozil (Lopid) and niacin, increase the risk of liver problems even more in people who take statins. Because liver problems may develop without symptoms, people who take statins should have their liver function tested about six weeks after they start taking statins, and then again every three to six months for the first year of treatment, particularly if their statin dose is increased, or they begin to take additional cholesterol-lowering medications.

Digestive problems

Some people taking a statin may develop nausea, gas, diarrhea or constipation after taking a statin. These side effects are rare. Most people who have these side effects already have other problems with their digestive system. Taking your statin medication in the evening with a meal can reduce digestive side effects.

Rash or flushing

You could develop a rash or flushing after you start taking a statin. If you take a statin and niacin, either in a combination pill such as Simcor or as two separate medications, you’re more likely to have this side effect. Taking aspirin before taking your statin medication may help, but talk to your doctor first.

Neurological side effects

Some researchers have studied whether statins could be linked to memory loss or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Researchers have not found a link between statin use and either condition.

Who’s at risk of developing statin side effects?

Not everyone who takes a statin will have side effects, but some people may be at a greater risk than others. Risk factors include:

  • Taking multiple medications to lower your cholesterol
  • Being female
  • Having a smaller body frame
  • Being age 65 or older
  • Having kidney or liver disease
  • Having type 1 or 2 diabetes

What causes statin side effects?

It’s unclear what causes statin side effects, especially muscle pain.

Statins work by slowing your body’s production of cholesterol. Your body produces all the cholesterol it needs for digesting food and producing new cells on its own. When this natural production is slowed, your body begins to draw the cholesterol it needs from the food you eat, lowering your total cholesterol.

Statins may affect not only your liver’s production of cholesterol, but also several enzymes in muscle cells that are responsible for muscle growth. The effects of statins on these cells may be the cause of muscle aches.

How to relieve statin side effects

To relieve statin side effects, your doctor may recommend several options. Discuss these steps with your doctor before trying them:

  • Take a brief break from statin therapy. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell whether the muscle aches or other problems you’re having are statin side effects or just part of the aging process. Taking a break of 10 to 14 days can give you some time to compare how you feel when you are and aren’t taking a statin. This can help you determine whether your aches and pains are due to statins instead of something else.
  • Switch to another statin drug. It’s possible, although unlikely, that one particular statin may cause side effects for you while another statin won’t. It’s thought that simvastatin (Zocor) may be more likely to cause muscle pain as a side effect than other statins when it’s taken at high doses.
  • Change your dose. Lowering your dose may reduce some of your side effects, but it may also reduce some of the cholesterol-lowering benefits your medication has. It’s also possible your doctor will suggest switching your medication to another statin that’s equally effective, but can be taken in a lower dose.
  • Take it easy when exercising. It’s possible exercise could make your muscle aches worse. Talk to your doctor about changing your exercise routine.
  • Consider other cholesterol-lowering medications. Ezetimibe (Zetia), a cholesterol absorption inhibitor medication, may be less likely to cause muscle pain than may statins, or may reduce muscle pain when taken with a statin. However, some researchers question the effectiveness of ezetimibe compared with statins in terms of its ability to lower your cholesterol.
  • Don’t try over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers. Muscle aches from statins can’t be relieved with acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) the way other muscles aches can. Don’t try an OTC pain reliever without asking your doctor first.
  • Try coenzyme Q10 supplements. Coenzyme Q10 supplements may help to prevent statin side effects in some people. If you’d like to try adding coenzyme Q10 to your treatment, talk to your doctor first to make sure the supplement won’t interact with any of your other medications.

Source: http://www.riversideonline.com/health_reference/Cholesterol/MY00205.cfm

Multiple sclerosis cases hit 2.3 million worldwide

The number of people living with multiple sclerosis around the world has increased by 10 percent in the past five years to 2.3 million, according to the most extensive survey of the disease to date.

The debilitating neurological condition, which affects twice as many women as men, is found in every region of the world, although prevalence rates vary widely.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is most common in North America and Europe, at 140 and 108 cases per 100,000 respectively, while in sub-Saharan Africa the rate is just 2.1 per 100,000, the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation’s Atlas of MS 2013 showed on Wednesday.

The atlas also confirmed that MS occurs significantly more in countries at high latitude, with Sweden having the highest rate in Europe and Argentina having more cases than countries further north in Latin America.

The reason for the link to high latitudes is unclear but some scientists have suggested that exposure to sunlight may reduce the incidence of the disease.

The survey found big increases in the number of medical experts trained to diagnose MS and help patients with treatment, while the number of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines available to carry out scans has doubled in emerging countries.

But huge disparities remain when it comes to access to modern disease-modifying drugs.

MS medicine has seen a number of advances in recent years, particularly with the introduction of a new generation of oral therapies such as Novartis’ Gilenya, Biogen Idec’s Tecfidera and Sanofi’s Aubagio.

These medicines offer an effective alternative to older disease-modifying treatments that are given by injection.

The survey found that injectable drugs like Biogen’s Avonex and Teva’s Copaxone were partly or fully funded in 96 percent of high-income countries, while Gilenya was available in 76 percent.

However, none of these drugs was available under government programs in low-income countries.

Source: www.foxnews.com

Foods To Consume Before Yoga Class

Most of us practice a common form of exercise to live healthy and that is yoga. Today, you see a lot of people who are practicing yoga to stay fit and to lead a healthy life.

 With this practice, comes along a wide range of foods you should eat too. Eating a healthy diet and following a fully fledged regime will only make you live longer.

If you are a believer in doing yoga to keep fit your mind and body, you need to follow certain food habits as well.

Experts say that before you go ahead with your yoga class, you need to eat a healthy and ‘light’ meal. The only reason is because yoga is a certain type of exercise where your body needs to be focused on your mind solely.

If you have a heavy meal before yoga exercise, you will want to throw up. One should keep their stomach light before a yoga exercise, so you can move your flexible body easily to perform the asanas. Some of the foods you should eat before yoga take a look at some of these healthy foods. These foods should be eaten half an hour before yoga class.

Oats

If you are hungry, grab a bowl of healthy oatmeal before a yoga class. This is a healthy food which you can consume. It is light and will boost your metabolism.

Pears

This is one of the best foods you can choose before you hit the yoga class. Consuming cut fresh pieces of pears is rich in fiber which will fill your tummy completely.

Raisins

If you consume a handful of raisins before your yoga class, you are pampering your body to a high content of natural sugar. This natural sugar will help to keep you active right through the class as you burn energy for weight loss.
Banana

There are a lot of people who refrain from eating a banana as they feel it adds to the extra pounds if you are on a weight loss program. If you are heading to yoga class, have a banana 15 minutes before as it is rich in sodium which will keep you hydrated.

Apricots

You need to stay light when you perform the asanas. Apricots are filling and a light food for you to consume before a yoga class. Dried apricots are the best opt.

Watermelon

If you want to stay light on your tummy, watermelon is the best food for you to consume before a yoga class. Watermelon helps to build your energy levels, so have a cup of fresh juice before you head out.

Yogurt

It is light and the best food to enjoy before yoga. A small cup of yogurt will help you stay fit and keep you mentally sound too.

Chocolate

Dark chocolate is much better when compared to normal chocolate. It is the dark chocolate which provides you with energy, and also helps to keep your heart healthy and active.

Prunes

It is a good food for you to consume before a yoga class. Prunes contain a high content of potassium which will keep you hydrated during the workout.

Almonds

Eating a handful of almonds will help boost your energy levels. Soaked almonds is however the best option for you to chose.

Read more at: www.inooz.com

 

Most of the Indians have the habit of Betel leaves

 

Most of the Indians have the habit of eating paan. Paan is an Indian mouth sweetener which is prepared with betel leaves. The betel leaves are used since the ancient times tracing back to 2000 years ago.

 It has been mentioned in the most ancient historic book of Sri Lanka, the Mahavasma. In India, betel leaves as well as nuts are offered to guests as courtesy. You might be surprised to know that the heart-shaped, smooth, shining and long-stalked betel leaves have numerous health benefits.

 Since ancient times, betel leaves has been used as an aromatic stimulant and anti-flatulent. Apart from being served as a mouth freshener, betel leaf is also used as an aphrodisiac. There are many health benefits of betel leaves which also makes it good for pregnant women. If lactating mothers apply betel leaves, it increases the production of milk in breastfeeding mothers.

Betel leaves are also good for oral health. It reduces mouth odour, whitens teeth and reduces bleeding. Here are few amazing health benefits of betel leaves that are worth knowing. Next time when you plan to freshen up your mouth, have betel leaves. Just make sure you eat it in a healthy way. Do not mix it with flavorings and nuts.
Read more at: http://www.boldsky.com/health/wellness/2013/health-benefits-betel-leaves-035550.html

 

Aloe Vera – the Most Happening Health Drink

Aloe vera juice is now on top of the charts for its immense health benefits and may have beaten many of its ilks in the race for the most happening health drink. 

Experts have extolled its virtues, and one that stands out is its cholesterol lowering property

According to the claims of its manufacturers, Aloe Vera juice seems to help with weight loss, digestion and immune function. It is also thought to relieve discomfort of any kind. 

They say Aloe vera contains a mix of some of the best vitamins- including A, C, E, folic acid, B1, B2, B3, and B6. It is also one of the few plants that actually contain Vitamin B12, which helps with brain and nervous system function.

Aloe vera juice is also rich in minerals and contains zinc, magnesium, calcium, selenium, iron, sodium, and potassium. This juice is also packed with amino and fatty acids – all helpful in beating indigestion. It boosts the body’s immunity and has the ability to throw out toxins from the body.

‘Aloe vera is amazing if you have any suggestive discomfort. It is very soothing for the internals and helps beat the bloat. Drinking Aloe vera replenishes your body naturally with a huge range of nutrients. It contains approximately 200 active components including – vitamins A, B1,B2,B6, B12, C, E, folic acid and Niacin,’ a leading nutritionist said.
Read more: http://www.medindia.net

 

Now, plant pill that can reduce wrinkles

Ladies, your dream of popping a pill that can make you look younger may finally come true!

In a first, scientists claim to have developed a new pill that is clinically proven to combat ageing by reducing wrinkles, providing an easier alternative to more invasive measures such as Botox.

The oral supplement, containing plant compounds and vitamins, could reduce the depth of crow’s-feet wrinkles on faces by 10 percent, tests at an independent clinic in Germany have shown.

The study also showed the supplement stimulated the production of collagen, which can prevent wrinkles from forming, ‘The Sunday Times’ reported.

The cocktail of ingredients could offer an alternative to more invasive measures such as Botox or the plethora of face creams on which hundreds of millions are spent by people seeking youthful looks.

The ingredients taken by the women in the study were soy isoflavones, which are plant compounds; lycopene, an antioxidant; vitamin C; vitamin E; and omega-3 fatty acids.

Silicone moulds were made of crow’s feet around the eyes and made again after 14 weeks of taking the supplement. The skin was smoother with less marked wrinkles.

There was a “significant reduction in average wrinkle depth” on a test group of 53 women who took the supplement compared with the control group of 55 women who got a placebo, he report said.

“On average, there was a 10 per cent reduction in wrinkle depth in the test group when compared with placebo,” the report said.

An analysis of the skin found increased levels of collagen and a “reduced severity” of skin roughness.

“We found that a significantly higher number of individuals consuming the test product showed increased levels of collagen after 14 weeks than those who consumed placebo products. To our knowledge, this is the first published report of increased collagen production in skin as a result of an oral intervention,” the report said.

The study was published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science.

Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/now-plant-pill-that-can-reduce-wrinkles/1175962

The 4 super foods keep you healthy this autumn

Autumn is here and that means a new crop of seasonal nutrient-dense fruit and vegetable “super foods”, that increase our overall wellness and nutrition and help support a healthy lifestyle, will be harvested soon.

Kari Kooi, registered dietician at Houston Methodist Hospital, said super foods are brimming with nutrients and antioxidants. The benefits of adding them into your everyday meals are numerous, as a nutritious diet can really have a positive impact on both your physical and mental health.

Kooi suggested top four super foods that you can incorporate into your daily meals.

The researcher said that Pumpkins are rich in beta-carotene which turns into vitamin A, also known as the vision vitamin. They are versatile and can be added into just about anything. If you like pumpkin pie, stir a little pumpkin puree into your oatmeal and add some pumpkin pie spice for a healthier alternative.

On the other hand seeds of Pumpkin are a super food powerhouse all on their own. They have heart healthy fat, protein, and fiber. They also have a lot of minerals like magnesium, which aids in bone health, and iron, which helps deliver oxygen to our cells. You can try roasted pumpkin seeds, which can be eaten shell and all, for a healthy snack during the day.

Pomegranates earn super food status because they are extremely rich in antioxidants.

Kooi said that Kiwis have a “tutti fruity” taste, with flavors reminiscent of different fruits like strawberries, melons, pineapples, bananas, and citrus. They also have a lot of fiber and a whopping amount of Vitamin C, which makes them a great super food. To enjoy a kiwi on-the-go, try cutting it in half and scooping the flesh out with a spoon.

Source: http://www.siasat.com/english/news