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.

Keep reading for more here…

New research shows the cumulative benefits of routine massages

By Katie Drummond for Prevention.com

We’re going to guess you don’t need another excuse to get a massage. But if you can’t afford a weekly spa trip (and frankly, who can?), you’re going to have to get really good at sweet-talking your husband into helping you out now and then. Not easy, we know. But we have some new ammo—and we have a new study from Emory University to back us up.

Over a period of five weeks, study participants received a Swedish massage—characterized by long, flowing strokes—once or twice a week. Compared to those who didn’t get the lucky task of getting massaged in the name of science, those who received massage therapy had lower levels of stress hormones, including cortisol. They also experienced big changes in immunity, including increased counts of white blood cells, which play a key role in fending off illness and infection.

And it gets better: The benefits of massage lasted for several days, and each subsequent massage offered a cumulative benefit. In other words, a routine massage ritual is superior to an occasional rub.

“The act of massage itself has amazing biological effects,” says lead study author Mark Hyman Rapaport, MD, chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine. “Of course, a single session will do great things for the body, but regular sessions seem to be even more profound.”

Anyone who enjoys massage should consider indulging regularly, says Dr. Rapaport, who adds that self-massage (for those of you with a reticent beau) has the potential to be a beneficial—and cost-effective—option.

Keep reading for three self-massage tips…

Most people who go gluten-free don’t have celiac disease

By Well+Good NYC

It seems like everyone is giving up gluten these days. But according to a study published July 31 in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, less than one percent of the population actually has celiac disease, and the majority of the people swearing off wheat are not those who are diagnosed.

The study: Researchers from the Mayo Clinic wanted to estimate the prevalence of celiac disease in the United States. They tested about 7,800 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for celiac disease, and also noted whether they had previously been diagnosed and which participants followed a gluten-free diet.

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Study says almonds have less calories than we thought

By Briana Rognlin for Blisstree.com

Almonds are a perennial favorite on healthy snack lists, but when you’re watching portion size carefully, a single serving can be depressingly small. And although we could munch the damn things all day long, most of us fear that we’re doing ourselves harm with the calorie- and fat-dense food.

But a new study says we can be at least a little less concerned; apparently, almonds have less calories than we thought.

The study authors set out to determine whether the traditional measure of calories–called “Atwater factors”–might be inaccurate for certain food groups. To do so, they measured the “metabolizable energy content” of almonds by analyzing fecal matter, urine, and blood samples of study subjects who ate consistent, specifically set amounts of almonds.

Their findings show that 30 almonds contain 165 calories, where Atwater factors said that only 23 almonds contain 165 calories.

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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.)

Keep reading for 3 more here…

An energy-boosting herb you should know about

I am back after so many days. I just got busy into some personal work but I am back now for exciting experiences and to spread some healthy tips, etc. Enjoy!

By Well+GoodNYC

There’s no such thing as a New Yorker who couldn’t use an energy boost, and an ancient herb may be just what you need. According to findings presented last week at a meeting for the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago, cancer patients who took pure ginseng capsules had more energy than those who took a placebo.

The study: Ginseng has long been associated with increased energy levels. Since cancer patients often struggle with fatigue, researchers at the Mayo Clinic wanted to test whether ginseng could help alleviate it. They instructed 340 cancer patients, the majority of whom had breast cancer, to take one capsule per day for eight weeks. Half the patients took capsules filled with 2,000 milligrams of ground American Ginseng, while the others took placebos.

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Study Hall: Vegans take pills made with animal products without knowing it

By Well+GoodNYC

Attention vegans and vegetarians: A new study published online in the Postgraduate Medical Journalfound that many people who avoid eating animal products unknowingly take pills that contain gelatin, derived from collagen in animal skin, bones, and connective tissue.

The study: Researchers from the U.K. surveyed 500 urology patients about their dietary preferences and whether they would take medications that contained animal products. (Previous studies have shown that urology drugs often contain gelatin.) They also asked the patients if they would question their doctor about animal ingredients in pills.

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The Breast Cancer Causer in Your Cabinet

By Leah Zerbe for RODALE.com

A food-packaging chemical found in most homes is likely causing breast cancer, a new study shows.

The canned-food chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, has been under attack for years, with study after study suggesting it’s associated with negative health impacts ranging from cancer and obesity to infertility and heart disease.

BPA is a common hormone-disrupting chemical used as a liner in metal food and drink cans and in cash-register receipts.

One of the chemical industry’s favorite ways to deflect this criticism is to discredit many of the studies because they looked at BPA’s health impacts on rodents, not species more closely related to humans. But a new study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is strengthening the push to ban BPA, showing that levels of the chemical used in many of those rodent studies—levels commonly found in most Americans—is also increasing breast cancer risk in monkeys, a close relative of humans.

“The sum of all these findings strongly suggests that BPA is a breast carcinogen in humans, and human exposure to BPA should be curtailed,” says study coauthor Ana M. Soto, MD, professor of anatomy and cell biology at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.

In the latest study, researchers fed pregnant monkeys bits of fruit containing BPA daily during their third trimester of pregnancy. They found that a pregnant monkeys’ low-level exposure caused abnormal changes in the offspring’s breast tissue. Specifically, the offspring’s mammary glands were denser, one of the leading risk factors in breast cancer.

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Read More: What is a “Hormone Disruptor” Anyway?

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BPA is chemically related to diethylstilbestrol, an estrogen that increases the risk of breast cancer in both rodents and in women exposed in the womb. “BPA is an estrogen, and estrogens are considered carcinogens,” Dr. Soto explains.

Much of the research on BPA and breast cancer risk involves fetal exposure and cancer that develops decades later. However, a study published in the journal Circulation in February showed a direct link between high BPA exposure in healthy adults and a greater risk of developing heart disease in the future. Different research appearing in PLoS ONE earlier this year discovered that BPA overrode the female body’s natural heartbeat signaling and caused arrhythmia (erratic beating that could cause sudden cardiac death) in heart tissue testing.

The message? No matter what your age, and regardless of your desire to become pregnant, it’s in everyone’s best interest to reduce BPA exposure.

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Read More: The Truth about Canned Soup

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The Food and Drug Administration was sued and forced to consider a BPA ban in food packaging, but said earlier this year it needed more time to determine whether the chemical threatens human health.

Still, a select few companies say they are planning to move away from use of BPA in canned goods, including Campbell’s Soup. Some canned food companies, like Eden Foods, have already removed BPA from cans and named the replacement. Campbell’s, however, isn’t naming the replacement chemical or saying when the BPA ban will go into effect. Also of concern? Some researchers fear BPA replacement chemicals could be just as bad—or worse—than BPA.

Avoiding canned food and drinks is a great way to reduce BPA exposure, but because the chemical is produced in heavy volumes and used in so many products, many public health experts believe government needs to intervene to cut back on this toxic exposure.

“Even if we try to decrease our exposure to BPA by reducing the use of plastics and canned food, and avoiding to touch credit card receipts, there’s now way of knowing if we’ve reduced exposure by 5 percent or 95 percent; thus, what we need is regulatory action to decrease human exposure to BPA,” says Dr. Soto.

Confirmed: Dairy and sugar cause acne

By Well+GoodNYC

Turns out, if you’re following the USDA nutrition guidelines of MyPlate and getting your 3 servings of dairy a day, you’re inviting a face full of pimples.

Confirming the long-suspected link between dairy products and acne is a systematic review of 21 observational studies and six clinical trials conducted over 2009 and 2010.

While the link between dairy and acne isn’t news to the holistic community—or most facialists—it is to the medical one, which has come up with drug after zit-fighting drug to treat something that’s not about the skin at all.

In fact, a 2010 paper in Clinics in Dermatology makes it clear that you could use all the best pimple-clearing products available (and the worst ones like Accutane) and still not keep breakouts at bay—unless you dispense with dairy.

Just how is dairy damaging your otherwise pristine visage?

Hormones in milk, explains Mark Hyman, MD. But it’s also milk’s ability to stimulate insulin production. “It actually may be the lactose or milk sugar in milk that acts more like a soft drink [in your body] than a [protein-rich] egg.”

5 Surprising Happiness Tricks

By Holly C. Corbett for Prevention.com

Right about now, we’re guessing you could use a little pick-me-up. Blah March weather and the serious lack of national holidays on the horizon can be a giant bummer. And while we can’t make summer hurry up and get here any quicker, these surprising—easy!—moves can have a big impact on your happiness levels right now. Try these research-backed tips for a sunnier disposition.

1. Hit the bottle.  The water bottle, that is. Being mildly dehydrated can make your mood, energy levels, and ability to think clearly plummet—especially if you’re a woman, according to a new study in The Journal of Nutrition. Your urine is a good way to gauge your hydration level: The darker it is, the more likely you’re dehydrated.

2. Move in slow-mo. Over the next five minutes, slow completely down. Make your movements deliberate while focusing your attention on being present in the moment—whether it’s feeling the warm suds on your skin while washing dishes or savoring the coffee you’re sipping. “When you live your life with your awareness engaged in the present moment and learn to be here now, you appreciate the simplest things,” says Sarah McLean, author of the new book Soul Centered. ”Ordinary tasks will begin to have new dimensions and depth.”

Keep reading for 3 more tips…