Paraben update: New research on beauty’s most problematic preservatives

By Well+Good NYC

“Parabens,” the term for a group of preservatives used in mainstream beauty products, wasn’t always a dirty word.

In 2004, Dr. Philippa Darbre, a research scientist at the University of Reading in the UK, published a small but pioneering study that showed high concentrations of parabens in human breast tumors.

Women everywhere flipped over their moisturizers to read the list of ingredients.

“That first paper shocked people because it was the first time intact parabens had ever been measured in the human body,” says Dr. Darbre. And while the study did not show that the chemicals cause cancer, it sounded a serious alarm.

Why? Parabens, which prevent bacteria from growing in beauty and personal-care products, are able to mimic or interfere with estrogen in the body, and exposure to estrogen is one of the primary influences on the development of breast cancer.

Since then, several studies have detected and reported parabens in human urine and tissue. In response, many beauty companies have eliminated them from ingredient lists, though they’re still used in many mainstream products.

Now, Dr. Darbre has published two new studies that shed even more light on the ways parabens enter our bodies and how they affect our health.

Here’s what you need to know about the latest research (and before refilling your beauty bag):

1. Parabens are getting into your body. In March, Dr. Darbre and her team published the results of a study that replicated the original study done in 2004, with a much larger sample size. They looked at the concentration of five parabens in breast tumor tissue. One or more types were found in 99 percent of the tissue samples, and all five were measurable in 60 percent of the samples. “The take-home message was that we validated the earlier study with a much more substantial study. Parabens are getting into the breast, and they’re getting in in significant amounts,” she explains.

2. Yup, your skin is letting them in. The parabens identified in the study were primarily intact, meaning they’ve bypassed the liver. What does this mean? You’re not getting them from your food, they’re being absorbed through your skin.

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Do You Use Products That Contain Silicone?

By Siobhan O’Connor for NoMoreDirtyLooks.com

When I first met Horst Rechelbacher, founder of Aveda and, more recently (thank goodness), Intelligent Nutrients, we spent a lot of time talking about silicone. Silicone, most of you probably know, is widely used in personal care products across the spectrum—from the relatively clean to your standard-issue drugstore brands. It’s especially useful in makeup, primer, sunscreen  and tinted moisturizer because it gives products a slippery sit-on-skin feeling that allows for even spreading, no rubbing, and produces a nice surface on top of which you can go ahead and make your face.

It’s also in a lot on conditioners and leave-ins, because it sits on the shaft of your hair and can take the guesswork (and manual labor) out of smoothing unruly manes, especially when it’s humid out. My experience is that repeated use of silicone on my hair makes it look like complete and utter garbage. My experience with my skin has not been quite the same.

As a refresher, most of the people I have spoken with who swear against it do so for one of a number of reasons. Because it’s occlusive (that means it sits on the surface of the skin and blocks moisture from escaping—but also blocks other things from going in); because it might be comedogenic (the research is equivocal on this one); and because it “doesn’t break down in nature,” says Rechelbacher (and others). On the other hand, dimethicone’s molecule weight makes it impossible, I believe, to migrate past the top layer of your skin—which is where it’s designed to sit, anyway. That’s how it “works.” But our research is ongoing at this point.

I know natural-beady diehards who swear by it and diehards who would, well, die before they used a product that contains it. We were in the latter camp. Now, we’re rethinking our position—but the jury’s still out.

No More Dirty Looks has historically said no to all silicone. It wasn’t on the list of our dirty 20-or-so in the book, mainly because the research we were able to find about its toxicity was unconvincing. At the same time, we can appreciate that many ingredients don’t have nearly enough scientific data published about their safety, and we definitely skew more toward “when in doubt, don’t.”

But then something happened.

Keep reading…

Can a mattress do more than deliver a good night’s sleep?

By Well+Good NYC

We spend about a third of our life in bed—most of it sleeping, or tossing and turning, as the case may be. So it’s hardly surprising that furniture-makers keep trying to improve the experience with new materials meant to get us better shut-eye. One way to build a better bed is to make it healthier. “Mattresses are no longer just about comfort, they are about choosing materials that are good for both the environment and your body,” says Andrea Mugnai, the GM at Magniflex’s new Manhattan showroom located in the Casa Poggesi shop in Soho. He’s referring mostly to the flame-retardant chemicals here, which holistic manufacturers tend to swap for incorporating non-flammable wool into the mattress design. (Mattresses must be fire-resistant by law.)

With Americans willing to do just about anything for a good night’s sleep, lavender-infused mattress covers and organic lambswool stuffing are a fast-growing market. Often the health claims of these mattresses sound as ridiculous as the price tags, which can run as high as $10,000, and often more, if you go the Hasten’s route. So Well+Good went shopping for the most intriguing new holistic mattresses to see what a good night’s sleep is worth. Here’s what we found:

•    Magniflex’s mattresses use a memory foam core sans toxic chemical flame-retardants. They’re covered with renewable fiber fabrics, like soy, corn, and bamboo. The newest Lavender Comfort mattress ($2,299 for a Queen ) comes with aromatherapy built right in. “The concentrated lavender oil in the cover activates the relaxation response, helping you to achieve a deeper, more well-rested nights sleep,” explains Mugnai. We buy that. Though a vial of Essence of Vali Sleep remedy would also do the trick.

Keep reading for more here…

Why a good moisturizer isn’t enough for great skin

By Well+Good NYC

Moisturizers get all the marquee billing, especially come fall when back-to-beauty ads punctuate every repeat episode of the Real Housewives of New Jersey. But if you’re not using a good exfoliant, you’re throwing your money away—and missing a key skin-rejuvenating opportunity. Just ask any NYC facialist, who would almost never skip the skin-sloughing step during a spa treatment. Why?

A good scrub can whisk away visible blackheads and help keep pores open and clean. Great example: Christine Chin Resurface Exfoliating Scrub ($28, http://www.christinechin.com), which uses micro-aluminum particles to scrub away dead skin, leaving a blackhead-free T-zone and a much-desired baby-bottom softness. Chin’s facials are probably the city’s fiercest.

A chemical exfoliant (or peel) dissolves dead skin cells as a way to remedy dryness, uneven skin tone, and a rough texture—in the time it takes to wash your face. Great example: Susan Ciminelli Algae Deep Cleanse ($65, http://www.susanciminelli.com), laced with a sinus-clearing scent of peppermint and papaya enzymes that brighten skin tone almost immediately. It’s also great for red, bumpy acne, as opposed to scrubs that can inflame it. Ask Cimminelli, whose chakra-balancing facials are meant to calm your mind and your skin.

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6 ways to hydrate better

By Well+GoodNYC

Every fitness professional out there tells you to drink water, water, and more water. Including the ones in this article.

But after a summer boot-camp session on a scorching sunny pier, your hydration stores may be drained into a pool of sweat around your Nikes.

We asked two of New York’s top personal trainers—Will Torres, owner of Willspace, and Joel Harper, celebrity trainer to clients like Dr.Oz—for their tips on how to give your hydration levels a boost for those 95-degree-days.

Get out your water bottle. Here’s what they had to say… —Lisa Elaine Held

 

JOEL HARPER, Celebrity trainer

1. Drink chia seeds. Literally. Harper recommends trying Drink Chia! at breakfast or for an afternoon snack.

The chia seeds that float around inside absorb 9 to 12 times their weight in water, which helps with prolonged hydration.

Plus, they’re “packed with omega-3s for endurance, your heart, and brain,” says Harper.

2. Soup up your water with supplements. You can supplement your water with electrolytes, antioxidants, and vitamins easily—and naturally.

Harper loves Vega Sport plant-based powders. (They’re created by vegan Ironman triathlete Brendan Brazier.) The Electrolyte Hydrator is packed with all essential electrolytes and bonus vitamins and antioxidants.

He also likes Pure Inventions antioxidant drops, which you can squeeze directly into your water glass.

3. Consider enhanced water.

Harper recommends Propel Zero. It’s a powder or enhanced bottled water, which he says is “very refreshing.” (Plus, Cindy Crawford drinks it, so there’s that.)

And while Gatorade is generally sugary and artificial (yuck), Harper recommends its newer G2 formulations, created for endurance athletes, which have more natural-leaning ingredients, few calories, tons of electrolytes, and vitamins.

Just don’t make it your daily drink of choice. Harper says to drink it “only during and after an intense workout.”

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CoQ10 Side Effects: The Bare Facts

By VIBRANT BEAUTY

You may have heard about CoQ10 and the claims that it can improve energy levels. CoQ10 actually stands for Coenzyme Q10 which is a compound naturally found within the cells of the body. Other names for CoQ10, are Q10, vitamin Q10, ubidecarenone and ubiquinone. CoQ10 functions similarly to that of an antioxidant, which prevents free radicals from further damaging the body.

CoQ10 can be found in small amounts many different types of foods, however the coenzyme is present with the highest amounts in meats such as kidneys, livers and hearts. Followed by beef, sardines, and mackerel. Vegetarians can turn to peanuts and soy oil.

CoQ10 has been claimed to aid in health conditions such as heart failure, muscular dystrophy, cancer, and periodontal disease. Energy boost and quicker recovery times after working out have likewise been attributed to the coenzyme. Despite these positive claims, medical researchers have likewise been warning about CoQ10 side effects. These include:

 

• Increased levels of liver enzymes in people taking doses of 300 mg per day for extended periods of time.

 

• Mild insomnia in some patients who take 100 mg of CoQ10 daily or more.

 

• Rashes, nausea, upper abdominal pain, sensitivity to light, dizziness, heartburn, heartache, fatigue and irritability.

 

• Reduced body response to anticoagulant (blood thinning) medicine warfarin and decreased insulin requirements in people with diabetes.

 

• Increased risks to pregnant and breastfeeding women who should not rely on dietary supplements.

 

• Undetermined long-term effects.

 

• Incompatibility with high cholesterol and low blood sugar medicines, which can decrease CoQ10 levels and reduce the effects of the coenzyme supplements.

It is important to note that like traditional and conventional medicines, dietary supplements such as CoQ10 may cause side effects, set off allergic reactions, or interact and clash with other medicines (prescription or nonprescription) you may also be taking. The coenzyme’s interaction with another medicine or supplement may even produce much worse CoQ10 side effects. So it would be best to be wary of whatever you decide to take to improve your health.

5 fitness facts that studies say probably aren’t true

By Well+GoodNYC

The First 20 Minutes, New York Times “Phys Ed” columnist Gretchen Reynold’s new book, is like a Myth Busters episode devoted to exercise science.

And we predict that it changes the way more people move than 50 Shades of Grey.

In it, Reynolds uses recent, quality research to address oft-debated exercise questions and to strike down common misconceptions—like how much should we exercise (20 minutes at a time, hence the book name, is enough to reap health benefits.) What’s the best way to get rid of muscle cramps? (Drinking pickle juice. Yes, really.) And many, many more.

The book is so full of fitness findings that floored us that we selected five of the most jarring research conclusions Reynolds comes to.

Warning: These big five may change the way you think about your exercise regimen and, just as urgently, your beach reading. Find out what they are now…

By Lisa Elaine Held

1. You don’t have to stay ahead of your thirst. Hydration is important, but researchers in the book call the age-old eight-glasses-a-day recommendation “nonsense.” Recent studies cited have shown that thirst is “actually a reliable physiological marker of your fluid needs. If you’re thirsty, drink. If you’re not, you probably are sufficiently hydrated.”

2. Post-exercise massages don’t get rid of lactic acid. Athletes generally get post-match massages in order to break up the build-up of lactic acid, which is thought to cause muscle soreness. But research studies found that it’s not effective for this purpose and can in fact impair the removal of lactic acid from exercised muscle. (We await a spa industry rebuttal.)

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Symptoms of Low Vitamin D In Women

By VIBRANT BEAUTY

A lack in vitamin D in women is an increasing problem. Just what causes vitamin D deficiency in women? One of the greatest causes of vitamin D deficiency in women is the lack of sunlight that they get on a daily basis. Many women stay in doors for most of the day, working and not getting exposure to sun. Taking your breaks outside may be a step in the right direction; however it may not be enough to get your full level of vitamin D needed especially during the winter months. This is perhaps one of the best ways to prevent symptoms of low vitamin D in women.

Of course the first step is to identify whether you have a vitamin D deficiency or not. The best way to know is to go to a doctor and get a blood test. However this will give you a good indication on whether you have may have a deficiency. Keep in mind sometimes vitamin D deficiencies symptoms are extremely subtle. Some vitamin D deficiency symptoms include;

• Bone pain
• Body pain and ache
• Muscle weakness
• Cognitive impairment (affects adults)
• Severe asthma (affects children)
• Feelings of depression

Further research indicates that vitamin D can help prevent several different health conditions including both type of diabetes, hypertension, MS and glucose intolerance. All of these reasons make it important to make sure that you are not affected by a deficiency.

If you happen to be low on vitamin D and the condition is not caused by a serious medical condition, then as mentioned try to spend some time outside in the direct sunlight, this can be during your breaks and definitely making it a point to get that glorious sun on the weekends. In fact you can combine your efforts to get adequate exercise as well as vitamin D by taking a walk or jog outside.

In addition to getting more direct sunlight changing your dietary habits to include more sources with vitamin D in them can also reverse your deficiency. For vegetarians and vegans this may pose more of a problem because many sources of vitamin D are from animals or animal based. Top vitamin D foods include, liver, eggs, fish oil and fish, fortified dairy and grains. However it is certainly not impossible to maintain your vitamin D dietary needs as well as continue to eat as a vegetarian. There are many supplements that can be taken orally that will help get you to your adequate levels.

Overall, vitamin D deficiency symptoms in women are increasingly common. Do not let this be you, especially since we are living in a time when it is easy to diagnose, prevent and remedy.

Anti-Aging Nutrition: What You Can Do

By VIBRANT BEAUTY

Anti-aging nutrition is not an exact science. There is no one formula that all people must conform to in order to reach their bodies’ peak performance. Consuming foods high in nutritional value is a must though if we intend to remain healthy as we grow older. Some of the best anti-aging foods are antioxidant foods. These are typically foods such as fruits and vegetables, but if you seem to find it difficult to eat a well balanced diet that includes those items, then using an anti-aging natural supplement can also be a means of assisting you to remaining healthy and feeling youthful, well into your later years.

The typical American diet these days leaves much to be desired in the way of nutrition. Fried foods, loads of starches and carbohydrates, and even vegetables are usually cooked (processed). This removes much of the nutrients naturally contained in them. For instance, MSM is a sulfur that our bodies need. In fact, about 80% of all sulfur in our body is MSM. It can be readily obtained from many sources, even meat, but because MSM is such a delicate element, heating the food we eat destroys its effective use, leaving it with no value to our bodies. So what we end up with are our bodies being deficient in a vital substance because it is cooked out of our foods, and there we have the typical problem with most American diets. Too much processing, to little nutrients.

As we see, although taking an anti-aging natural supplement will certainly boost the level of vitamins and minerals we may be lacking, the most common reason we are lacking this is because the anti-aging foods we eat are too few and too processed. So here are a few anti-aging tips:

Here are the top 10 things to try and avoid in a healthy diet:

1. Caffeine
2. High levels of sugar intake
3. Deep fried food
4. Cigarettes
5. Alcohol
6. Olestra
7. Aspartame
8. Hydrogenated oils
9. Processed foods including: TV dinners, meats, etc.
10. Excessive carbohydrates: pasta, rice, bread, etc.

And here are the top 10 things to try and include in your anti-aging nutrition diet:

1. Water; the most invaluable substance in a healthy body. It is a necessity to all our life functions.
2. Raw fruits; especially berries which are extremely high in antioxidants.
3. Raw vegetables; in particular, green leafy vegetables have many nutrients (vitamins and minerals).
4. Raw nuts and sprouted grains; try a sprouted grain bread called Ezekiel which is an excellent source of vitamins and fiber without the use of flour.
5. Fish and Omega-3 fish oils; healthy oils which actually reduce cholesterol levels.
6. MSM; necessary to our bodies, but too often cooked out of our foods.
7. Brown rice (first set in water for approx. 24 hours to make it alkaline)
8. Super foods such as spirulina
9. Olive oil
10. Fruit juices; be careful not to drink too much. Though it is natural sugar, it is sugar none the less.