How To Help Your Skin Fend Off The Harshness Of Winter

CHICAGO (CBS) — Chilly temps and dry heat can do a number on your skin. As CBS 2′s Mary Kay Kleist reports, there are simple ways to make sure winter doesn’t make you look old.
In winter, low humidity outdoors combined with dry indoor heat robs skin of moisture.
“The important things to think about doing with your daily routine during the winter time is to repair, replenish, and protect. The skin barrier, when it stays intact, helps prevent dehydration and dryness of the skin,” says Jill Weinstein, a dermatologist with the Northwestern Memorial Physicians Group.
Dr. Weinstein suggests using creamier makeup and moisturizers.  Go for products with sunscreen.  UV-A rays are still strong in the winter. Instead of licking your lips, swipe them with an oil-based lip balm.  Eat foods loaded with vitamins and antioxidants to help your skin.
Trade the long, hot bath  for a short, warm shower. Rehydrate overnight by keeping a humidifier in the bedroom.
Here is the list of skin-boosting foods:
*Salmon – a great source of niacin, which is a B vitamin that can keep skin cells healthy.  Selenium in salmon is an antioxidant that will help protect your skin from sun damage.
*Avocados — this fruit is loaded with essential oils and B-complex vitamins that nourish your skin, inside and out.

*Mangoes — loaded with vitamin A.  This helps to repair skin cells.  If you don’t get enough vitamin A, the result will be a dry, flaky complexion.
*Almonds — they carry vitamin E, which is an antioxidant that can help in fighting skin-aging free radicals.
*Cottage cheese — the selenium and vitamin E in the cottage cheese gives us a powerful free radical-fighting antioxidant duo.
*Soybeans — these are protein-rich to help the skin stay firm.
*Mushrooms — rich in riboflavin, which is a B vitamin that helps with tissue maintenance and repair.
*Sweet potatoes – these are rich in beta-carotene.  Your body will convert this to vitamin A, which helps to shed dead skin cells.
*Papaya — this fruit is high in vitamin C.  Vitamin C is one of the best antioxidants for protecting skin from damage that leads to wrinkles.
*Flaxseed oil — omega 3′s are good for your skin.  Flaxseed oil is one of the best sources.
One last tip: Cutting back on refined sugar can do wonders for your skin.  Refined sugars cause an inflammatory reaction in the body that can add years to your face.

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Home Remedies for Rosacea
Azon Affiliate Crusher

Caffeine Alters Estrogen Levels in Younger Women

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

Tony Cenicola/The New York TimesCan a dose of caffeine affect estrogen levels?

Your daily dose of caffeine may tinker with more than just your energy levels.

A new study of women ages 18 to 44 found that drinking coffee and other caffeinated beverages can alter levels of estrogen. But the impact varies by race. In white women, for example, coffee appears to lower estrogen, while in Asian women it has the reverse effect, raising levels of the hormone.

The study did not look at older women, but women of child-bearing age who enjoy a daily cuppa have little reason to fret, the researchers said. The effects of caffeine on estrogen are so minimal that in healthy women, it has no impact on ovulation or overall health, at least in the short term.

“This is important physiologically because it helps us understand how caffeine is metabolized by different genetic groups,” said Dr. Enrique Schisterman, an author of the study and senior investigator at the National Institutes of Health. “But for women of reproductive age, drinking coffee will not alter their hormonal function in a clinically significant way.”

The study, which was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, analyzed data on more than 250 women who were examined one to three times a week over two menstrual cycles. They provided blood samples along with details about behaviors like exercise, eating and smoking. On average, they consumed about 90 milligrams of caffeine a day, equivalent to roughly one cup of coffee.


After controlling for a number of variables, like age and diet, the researchers found that among Asian women, those who had 200 milligrams or more of caffeine a day had higher estrogen levels compared to those who consumed less. A similar pattern was seen among black women, though it was not statistically significant. In white women, however, 200 milligrams or more of caffeine appeared to have a slight lowering effect on estrogen.

Nationwide, about 90 percent of women between the ages of 18 and 34 drink the caffeine equivalent of one to two cups of coffee every day.

Why caffeine would have a different impact depending on race was unclear, though Dr. Schisterman said it was likely that genetics has an influence on caffeine metabolism. But the source of caffeine also seemed to make a difference. When the researchers looked exclusively at caffeine from beverages other than coffee — like green tea and soda — it was linked to higher estrogen in all women, regardless of race. Various levels of antioxidants and other compounds in the drinks, as well as additives like milk and sugar, might play a role, he said.

Dr. Schisterman noted that while healthy, premenopausal women should not worry about caffeine intake in the short term, more research was needed to see if there could be a cumulative impact over many years or decades.

“We don’t know if there are long-term effects of these small shifts in hormonal levels,” he said.

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How Holiday Overeating Can Damage Your Skin

Is coffee cherry the new acai?

Martha Cheng

Is coffee cherry the new acai? Two companies are touting antioxidant-rich coffee fruit (the pulp around the coffee bean that was previously discarded in coffee bean processing) as the superfruit du jour: KonaRed sells "Hawaiian Superfruit Antioxidant Juice" and Coffees of Hawaii started a new line of coffee cherry tea, marketed as "Hawaiian Tisane, Molokai Style." Both label their Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) levels on the packaging (if you care: 279 micromoles per gram for the tisane, 2,501 for KonaRed). Just take it all with a dose of free radicals: even antioxidants have their naysayers.
But how do they taste?
KonaRed: A blend of coffee cherry, pineapple and apple juice, and Stevia extract (a sugar substitute), this drink tastes of blue and red berry fruits, not unlike an acai smoothie. It's a little too sweet for me, though.
$3.49 for 16 ounces, available at 7-11, Down to Earth, Kokua Market and other locations, konared.com
Coffee of Hawaii's Tisane: In flavors of Jasmine Blossom Green Tea, Lavender, Lemongrass, Mamaki Ginger and Papaya Leaf Vanilla. Each successfully blends herbs with the addition of dried coffee cherry for a pleasant acidity. This would be my preferred liquid antioxidant intake.
$6.25 for 3 ounces, available at Whole Foods, coffeesofhawaii.com
As far as caffeine goes, the coffee fruit has significantly less caffeine than the bean. KonaRed has about a quarter the caffeine of a regular cup of coffee whereas the tisane has 1/100th the caffeine.

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How Holiday Overeating Can Damage Your Skin