Scientists find nutty risk reducer: Eat more nuts

Nutty answer to heart health risks: Handful of nuts beats olive oil in Mediterranean diet test
By CARLA K. JOHNSON Associated Press Writer

source: http://www.newsweek.com/id/172980

CHICAGO) Here's a health tip in a nutshell: Eating a handful of nuts a day for a year — along with a Mediterranean diet rich in fruit, vegetables and fish — may help undo a collection of risk factors for heart disease.
Spanish researchers found that adding nuts worked better than boosting the olive oil in a typical Mediterranean diet. Both regimens cut the heart risks known as metabolic syndrome in more people than a low-fat diet did.
"What's most surprising is they found substantial metabolic benefits in the absence of calorie reduction or weight loss," said Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital.In the study, appearing Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the people who improved most were told to eat about three whole walnuts, seven or eight whole hazelnuts and seven or eight whole almonds. They didn't lose weight, on average, but more of them succeeded in reducing belly fat and improving their cholesterol and blood pressure.
Manson, who wasn't involved in the study, cautioned that adding nuts to a Western diet — one packed with too many calories and junk food — could lead to weight gain and more health risks. "But using nuts to replace a snack of chips or crackers is a very favorable change to make in your diet," Manson said.
The American Heart Association says 50 million Americans have metabolic syndrome, a combination of health risks, such as high blood pressure and abdominal obesity. Finding a way to reverse it with a diet people find easy and satisfying would mean huge health improvements for many Americans, Manson said.

Nuts help people feel full while also increasing the body's ability to burn fat, said lead author Dr. Jordi Salas-Salvado of the University of Rovira i Virgili in Reus, Spain.
"Nuts could have an effect on metabolic syndrome by multiple mechanisms," Salas-Salvado said in an e-mail. Nuts are rich in anti-inflammatory substances, such as fiber, and antioxidants, such as vitamin E. They are high in unsaturated fat, a healthier fat known to lower blood triglycerides and increase good cholesterol.
More than 1,200 Spaniards, ranging in age from 55 to 80, were randomly assigned to follow one of three diets. They were followed for a year. The participants had no prior history of heart disease, but some had risk factors including Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and abdominal obesity.
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At the start, 751 people had metabolic syndrome, about 61 percent, distributed evenly among the three groups.
Metabolic syndrome was defined as having three or more of the following conditions: abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, low levels of good cholesterol (HDL), high blood sugar and high blood pressure.
The low-fat group was given basic advice about reducing all fat in their diets. Another group ate a Mediterranean diet with extra nuts. The third group ate a Mediterranean diet and was told to make sure they ate more than four tablespoons of olive oil a day.

Dietitians advised the two groups on the Mediterranean diet to use olive oil for cooking; increase fruit, vegetable and fish consumption; eat white meat instead of beef or processed meat; and prepare homemade tomato sauce with garlic, onions and herbs. Drinkers were told to stick with red wine.
After one year, all three groups had fewer people with metabolic syndrome, but the group eating nuts led the improvement, now with 52 percent having those heart risk factors. In the olive oil group, 57 percent had the syndrome. In the low-fat group, there was very little difference after a year in the percentage of people with the syndrome.
The nut-rich diet didn't do much to improve high blood sugar, but the large number of people with Type 2 diabetes — about 46 percent of participants — could be the reason, Salas-Salvado said. It's difficult to get diabetics' blood sugar down with lifestyle changes alone, he said.

To verify that study volunteers ate their nuts, researchers gave some of them a blood test for alpha-linolenic acid found in walnuts.
The study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Health and the government of Valencia, Spain.
Salas-Salvado and another co-author disclosed in the publication that they are unpaid advisers to nut industry groups. Salas-Salvado said all of their research "has been conducted under standard ethical and scientific rules" and that peer-review journal editors determined the study results were not influenced by food industry ties.

How To Never Look Tired

25 easy tricks that replace sleep. (But you should get some of that, too!)

by Wendy Schmid
source: http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-look/makeup-skin-care-hair/articleglamour.aspx?cp-documentid=14567030&GT1=32002.

That coworker’s voice is full of concern when she says, “How are you? You look tired.” But her sympathy doesn’t stop you from wanting to throttle her. Nobody wants to appear sleep deprived—and nobody has to anymore. “It’s easier than ever to not let exhaustion show on your face. There are lots of effective products, many of them inexpensive, that de-puff, glow you up and disguise problems,” says New York City dermatologist Francesca Fusco, M.D. And there are plenty of look-alive tactics that are free. Hallelujah! We’ve got six satisfying comebacks to use the next time someone says you seem pooped—but you’ll never need them if you try the following ideas from beauty pros and some very clever weary women.

Try a Little Eyeliner Magic
New York City–based makeup artist Laura Mercier perks up models at early-morning photo shoots by rimming their inner, upper lash lines with navy. “It make the whites of their eyes seem brighter,” she says. White is the liner color of choice for singer Katy Perry, 24, who’s learned it’s not easy to get shut-eye when you’re promoting a hit album (One of the Boys) and spending nights on a tour bus. She swipes it onto her inner, lower lids. The white helps offset redness, she says; “catnaps help too.

Glow With Gravity
Kathleen Baird-Murray, 40, author of the new novel Face Value, does a backbend when she’s tired. “It gets me going,” she says, “and brings a flush to my face.” You could also hang your head over the side of your bed for a few seconds."

Do a Ponytail Face-Lift
Pulling your hair into a high, tight one literally gives your face a little lift, so you look refreshed, says Paris-based runway hairstylist Odile Gilbert.

Caffeinate Your Eyes
Leigh Lezark, 24, globe-trotting deejay for the Misshapes, has a special A.M. ritual when she’s worked till dawn: She dips cotton pads in brewed espresso and presses them beneath her eyes. “It eliminates all the darkness and puff,” she says. Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, so it shrinks blood vessels and minimizes dark circles. Its diuretic effect also helps reduce swelling, which is why it’s so popular in eye creams.

Take a Cold (and Hot) Shower
Alternating blasts revive Jayne Sandman, 29, associate publisher of Capitol File magazine, when she’s done the D.C. party circuit five nights in a row. Says Dr. Fusco, who recommends this to overworked patients: “The temperature change revs circulation and brings back color—it’s like CPR for the skin.”

Go for a Bronzer-Blush Whammy
The Hills star Audrina Patridge, 23, admits to losing all color in her face when she’s wiped. Her strategy: “Bronzer all over and shimmery blush on my cheeks, so I don’t look like a zombie!”

Rub on an Ice Cube
Dancing With the Stars pro Karina Smirnoff, 30, spikes ice-cube trays with her Russian mom’s special cocktail (not vodka!) to prep for sunrise rehearsals. She just adds a drop of lemon juice and olive oil to each square, and later runs a frozen cube over her face. The cold reduces swelling, the lemon’s citric acid tightens and the olive oil adds moisture.

Put on Skin-Flattering Clothes
“After late nights, I’ll slip into a dress, heels and my Steven Alan headband to throw off coworkers,” says Lilia DeGregory, 33, a photographer at Kate Spade who moonlights as a deejay. Makeup pro Bobbi Brown, author of Makeup Manual, dons a pink scarf: “Pink warms up skin; I get kudos even on bad days!”

Spoon!
When she’s been working nonstop, Kate Somerville, 38, founder of a skin-care line, chills teaspoons in the hotel-room mini fridge and rests them on her eyes: “It reduces puffiness and redness.”

Dress up Your Lips
“I draw attention away from my weary eyes with pink lip gloss,” says Paula Froehlich, 34, deputy editor of New York Post gossip column Page Six, who spends nights reporting. The shade transforms a “just-shoot-me-now look,” she says.

Add More Mascara
Three coats perk up designer Cynthia Rowley when new collections have her lagging. “I load only my upper lashes,” she says. “I don’t risk smudges below when I’m already bleary-eyed.”

Wear Frozen Veggies
NYC trainer Lacey Stone, 30, puts a bag of frozen peas on her face before she leads early-morning workouts. “They conform perfectly,” she says, and help cure sleep face.

Banish Dark Circles
One mistake women often make: “They miss the shady spot at the inner corner of the eye,” says Matthew Nigara, an NYC makeup pro. A dab of highlighter there brightens the whole area.

Bring on the Bling
Parties can last till dawn during Fashion Week, so NYC stylist Kate Schelter, 32, throws on a glittery necklace or earrings the morning after: “The sparkle makes you look lively! It’s a trick I tell clients.”

9 Ways to Age Gracefully

Simple tips to follow for feeling young and staying healthy.
By EatingWell, EatingWell.com

source:http://health.msn.com/health-topics/aging/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100220715

Aging is inevitable. The so-called fountain of youth? Sadly, just a beautiful fantasy. Still, you can exert some control over your decade-by-decade destiny. By following a healthy lifestyle—that is, eating a nutrient-packed diet and staying active throughout life (or starting right now)—you can help slow the aging process and perhaps even stave off age-related chronic diseases, including osteoporosis, diabetes and heart disease. While basic nutrition needs remain pretty constant throughout life, requirements for specific nutrients may increase—or decrease—slightly as you get older. Also, as we age, caloric needs drop, making it ever more important to pack your diet with the good stuff—vegetables, fruits and whole grains, for example—and limit less-healthy treats. The nutrition experts at EatingWell recommend the following eating tips for healthy aging.

Pack your diet with plant-based foods.

Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other plant-based foods are rich sources of phytochemicals, which are beneficial compounds that may help protect against age-related conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure and macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in older people. Fill at least two-thirds of your plate with vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans and the remaining one-third or less with lower-fat sources of protein, like fish, poultry or lean meat. Choose vegetables and fruits that represent a rainbow of colors: dark leafy greens (e.g., kale and spinach), deep yellow and orange vegetables (e.g., corn and sweet potatoes), tomatoes and other red foods (e.g., bell peppers, strawberries) and blue and purple powerhouses like blueberries and purple grapes.

Keep weight in check.

As you get older, your body loses lean body mass (muscle) and your metabolism, or the rate at which you burn calories, slows. Bottom line: Through the years, you'll need fewer calories to maintain a healthy weight. Stay within a healthy range by filling up on lower-calorie, nutrient-packed foods—particularly vegetables and fruits—and cut back on foods that contain a lot of fat or added sugars. Carrying around extra pounds can increase your chances of developing heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, joint problems and some cancers.

Go easy on fat.

Eating some fat is important for health, but certain fats are better than others. Vegetable oils like olive or canola are your best choices because they are high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and low in the saturated fats that are associated with increased risk for conditions including heart disease and cancer. Limit foods that are high in saturated fats, including animal products like fatty red meats and full-fat dairy products.

Concentrate on calcium.

Getting enough calcium (and vitamin D, see below) can help prevent osteoporosis, the leading cause of bone fractures in older adults. If you're 50 or older, you need 1,200 mg of calcium daily. Good sources of calcium include low-fat dairy products, calcium-fortified soymilk and orange juice, and fish with edible bones (like canned salmon or sardines). Other food sources of calcium include dark green vegetables, such as kale, broccoli and okra. If meeting your calcium needs through food seems daunting, talk with your doctor about whether you may need a supplement.

Don't forget about D.

Vitamin D, which you need to absorb calcium properly, is a unique nutrient in that it's available only in a few foods: fatty fish, egg yolks and fortified milk. We get most of our vitamin D through sun exposure: when UV light penetrates skin, skin cells produce a compound that the liver and kidneys convert to vitamin D. But as you age, skin becomes less efficient at synthesizing D. To meet increased needs with age, many experts recommend a supplement. (The recommended daily intake for people aged 51 to 70 is 400 IU; those over 70 need 600 IU—but many medical experts say that these recommendations are outdated and that most people, particularly those aged 50-plus, should aim for 1,000 IU.) Talk with your doctor about what's best for you.

"B" aware of changing nutrient needs.

As you age, your stomach produces less gastric acid, which makes it harder for the body to absorb vitamin B-12—a nutrient that helps keep blood and nerves healthy—from natural food sources. (These include meat, fish, eggs and dairy products like yogurt and milk.) Since data suggest that up to one-third of older people can no longer absorb the vitamin from food, nutrition experts advise that people aged 50-plus get the recommended daily intake (2.4 mcg) of B-12 from fortified foods, such as cereal or supplements. A multivitamin that supplies 100 percent the daily value should do you fine.

Keep moving!

It's never too late to reap the benefits of exercise. Research shows that regular exercise—at any age—not only helps prevent heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers, but it also burns calories, gives you energy, relieves stress, helps you sleep better and improves strength and balance. What's more, studies show exercise increases blood flow to the brain and may even help new brain cells grow, which keeps the mind sharp. The key to reaping the benefits of physical activity is sticking with it, so choose any exercise you enjoy and aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate activity a day.

If you drink, do so in moderation.

Studies show that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol may protect against heart disease. But consuming alcoholic beverages may interfere with the effectiveness of certain medications. It also may increase the risk for some kinds of cancer. (The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends avoiding alcohol altogether.) It's important to weigh for yourself the risks and benefits. If you decide to drink, limit alcoholic beverages to no more than two drinks a day for men and one for women.

Play it safe with food storage and prep.

As you get older, your risk of foodborne illness increases (likely in part due to an aging immune system, say experts). Store and handle food properly (think: keeping your fridge at a safe temperature; avoiding cross-contamination in the kitchen).