FitSugar

Study Links Beer Drinking to Psoriasis

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:45:48 PDT

Is a tall cold beer your idea of a good time? And does craft beer, local breweries, or homebrew cause you to squeal with glee? If so, I have some news that might be hard to hear: women who regularly drink beer may be more likely to develop psoriasis. Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Boston University looked at data from 82,869 women, and recently published their findings in the Archives of Dermatology.

The participants - aged 27 to 44 at the beginning of the study - were followed for 14 years. Researchers found that as the women's beer consumption increased, so did their risk to the skin condition. During the course of the study, 1,150 cases of psoriasis developed, and the risk was 72 percent greater among women who had an average of 2.3 nonlight beers per week or more. Women who drank wine, liquor, or light beer seemed to be unaffected, leading researchers to believe that barley - or more specifically, the gluten in barley - is the culprit.

Researchers have believed for some time now that alcohol was linked to the onset of psoriasis, but weren't clear on the details. These findings suggest that the once suspected hypothesis holds some truth. If you have psoriasis, or have a family history of the skin disease, it may be a good idea to monitor your beer consumption, or switch to light beer instead.

Keeping Up With Jackie Warner

FitSugar — Mon, 17 May 2010 05:50:31 PDT

Trainer Jackie Warner is a busy lady. She wakes up at 6 a.m. almost every day to work out before beginning her day. And these days she is usually shooting her new Bravo TV show Thintervention, which will hopefully air this Fall. She recently carved time out of her day to speak with me and her excitement for the new "docu-drama" is infectious. Jackie described it as "the show she always wanted to make" and as the executive producer of the show she certainly has control over the final product. The tough trainer described the project to me like this: "I am working with seven people and I literally take them through a life changing journey for eight episodes, which is a total of eight weeks. It's a very powerful show. I think it is going to be eye opening for America. It's really interesting to see the process people go through to lose weight and the emotional process they go through when they have to live in the real world in their real element. We do not sequester them. They are just working the program on their own and they have to get through their own issues with food . . . but it's a group effort."

When I asked if she missed her old show Work Out she laughed and replied "No. Work Out had its purpose. I like to say 'Work Out happened to me. I made Thintervention happen.' I have a lot of creative control over the show. . . It is about me as a life coach."

It's not all TV lights for Jackie, she also recently developed Fit in Your Skin, a very thorough health program for folks living with psoriasis. Helping people with the condition is personal for her; she watched her grandmother's self esteem and health plummet with frequent outbreaks of psoriasis. Jackie firmly believes that slight autoimmune diseases from thyroid issues to chronic fatigue are a silent scourge of the nation, but dietary changes and fitness can dramatically improve these people's quality of life - sufferers of psoriasis too.

Learn about Jackie's new book when you

read more. On top of all that, Jackie recently published This Is Why You're Fat (And How to Get Thin Forever): Eat More, Cheat More, Lose More-and Keep the Weight Off ($25). The words "cheat more" in the subtitle definitely caught my attention. When following Jackie's eating program, you are allowed two cheat meals a week, not just one. "One cheat meal a week is not enough. It is enough for quick dietary change, but it is not enough for lifestyle change. If you want long term success your better not deprive yourself." Her cheat foods: pizza and ice cream. Stay tuned for more from Jackie coming to FitSugar later this week. She has some great insights to share on changing your eating and workout habits for the better.

LeAnn Rimes Has Psoriasis - What Is It?

FitSugar — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:59:00 PST

LeAnn Rimes has no problem belting out songs in public, but she's been hiding a secret. At age two, LeAnn was diagnosed with the chronic autoimmune disease known as psoriasis. The condition is characterized by reddish, thick, and flaky skin with silver-white patches. This common condition can appear suddenly or slowly and flares up repeatedly over time. It's not contagious but can be hereditary.

Poor LeAnn was tormented by her peers. She recently told Health, "Kids didn't want to hang out with me or touch me. I remember being called 'Scaly Girl,' and never ever wanting to go out in a bathing suit."

To encourage people to get help, LeAnn joined a campaign called Stop Hiding. For more details and to watch a video of LeAnn discussing her experience with the disease,

read more. LeAnn hasn't had a flare up in five years since she's made some changes. She said, "I found great medication and a great doctor and began really living a healthy lifestyle." She even felt confident enough to show off her skin in a bikini on the March of Fitness magazine. She said, "To feel vibrant, to feel like a woman, to want to show off that I have clear skin, it's the happiest day of my life." Below is the public service announcement LeAnn recorded for Stop Hiding. Source

The 5 Widespread Beauty Myths No One Tells You About

Miriam Lacey — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 06:00:00 PDT

There are a lot of common beauty myths people are eager to disprove: drinking water makes your skin more moist, popping pimples makes them go away, etc. But there are some misconceptions that are just as pervasive and don't get nearly as much attention. To see if you've been deceived, just keep reading.

The Best Supplements For Your Skin

Prevention — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 04:27:00 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

Skin Health
By the Editors of Prevention

Your birthday suit is pretty good at taking care of itself, but this process changes over time. Through natural exfoliation, your skin sheds dead cells as younger ones, generated deep in the epidermis (skin's top layer), migrate upward to replace them. In young, healthy skin, cells take about 28 days to reach the surface and flake off 12 days later, but as you age, renewal slows; new cells aren't produced as quickly, and old ones hang on longer.

Your skin also loses its luster over time as free radicals - generated from things like stress, cigarette smoke, and the skin's top enemy, the sun--cause cell damage that leads to discoloration and even cancer. Your body starts producing collagen, a protein that helps keep your skin plump and elastic, more slowly, causing the outer skin to become more prone to creasing and wrinkling. Cells also tend to lose moisture faster, due to hormonal changes, so skin becomes drier and less glowy.

Lifestyle factors, like avoiding excess sun exposure and wearing sunscreen when you head outdoors, getting plenty of sleep, washing and moisturizing your face at night, combating stress, and getting plenty of exercise, can all keep your skin healthy and youthful longer. And certain vitamins and supplements can help fight wrinkles, discoloration, and other signs of aging, too. But a key distinction here is that most of them work best when applied topically, not through pills or diet.

11 Foods That Give You Beautifully Radiant Skin

Best supplements

Omega-3s: These supplements aren't just making headlines for heart health - dermatologists also recommend them to help prevent dry skin and problems like psoriasis and eczema. These fats are a key component of the lubricating layer that keeps skin supple, and they aid in the production of hormones that improve skin texture and help combat the inflammatory damage wrought by free radicals--one of the causes of wrinkles and blotchiness. To get enough omega-3s in your diet, supplements are often recommended in addition to eating fish, walnuts, and other food sources.

Topical nutrients

You can get these from food or multivitamins, but for optimal skin health, use products that contain them too.

Vitamin A: Derivatives of this vitamin are known as retinoids, and you can find them in OTC or prescription products. They're proven--through more than 700 studies! - to reduce wrinkles, fade brown spots, and smooth roughness. The downside to their effectiveness is potential side effects. Retinoids can cause redness, scaling, and flaking that can last for weeks or more; OTC products tend to be milder than Rx ones.

More About Retinoids and Products That Contain Them

Vitamin B3: This B vitamin, commonly known as niacinamide, helps boost production of the compounds that comprise your skin's outer barrier, which helps it lock in moisture better. The ingredient is also shown to help reduce redness in rosacea patients and is especially helpful if you have dry or sensitive skin.

Vitamin C: Proven to mop up the free radicals that trigger wrinkling, sagging, and other aging changes, vitamin C also helps smooth and firm skin and fade brown spots. In one study, women who treated sun-damaged skin with a C cream for 6 months saw significant improvement in fine lines and discoloration. Though the benefits of retinoids and vitamin C sound similar, using both delivers more complexion perfection.

Vitamin E: This powerful vitamin eases dry skin (by helping skin retain its natural moisturizers) and bolsters UV defense. A slew of skin care studies document its superstar status. In one, E significantly reduced the number of skin-damaging free radicals created after exposure to cigarette smoke. Others show that when it's used before UV exposure, skin is less red, swollen, and dry, which is why the ingredient is often included in sunscreens.

See 7 More Doctor-Proven Beauty-Boosting Supplements

The Best Supplements For Your Skin

What Booze Is Doing to Your Looks

Allure — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 10:20:51 PDT

We're excited to present this article from Allure!

As much as we delight in sharing positive beauty news about alcohol on Daily Beauty Reporter-Red wine protects your teeth from cavities! Boozers tend to exercise more!-it's obvious that excessive drinking takes a toll on your appearance.

After my interview with Brooke Shields in Allure's April issue, I was inspired by something that she said: "When I drink too much alcohol, go on a few hours of sleep, don't eat well, and don't sweat, I look five to ten years older."

See, lately, I have found myself skipping the gym, sleeping terribly, and pouring a second (or third) glass too often-and I'm wearing it. To kick off an overall lifestyle cleanse, I decided to take a 30-day break from alcohol. Helping me stay away from my Maker's Mark, are these negative effects of overindulging. See the rest when you keep reading.

Does Inflammation Really Cause Aging? Get the Facts Here

Miriam Lacey — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 10:31:34 PDT

Inflammation is a hot topic in skin care because of its purported connection to aging, and big names like Dr. Perricone think we should be doing everything we can to avoid it. But is inflammation really such a bad thing, and is there anything we can do about it? To find out what we know for sure about inflammation, just keep reading.

Miracle Skin Transformer Isn't Supernatural, but It Is Pretty Great

Miriam Lacey — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 06:00:00 PDT

I'm a big fan of tinted moisturizers, and there are a lot of very nice products out there. Among the bunch, though, I have to say that Miracle Skin Transformer SPF 20 ($48) really stands out for me. Instead of being water-based like most makeup, MST is made with non-synthetic silicone. As a result, it has a lot more in common with popular dimethicone-based primers than with face tints. So how does a silicone tinted moisturizer treat your skin differently? Find out when you read more.

3 Soothing Ways to Use Therapeutic Sea Salts

Jaime Richards — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 05:00:00 PDT

Sea salt may enhance the taste of your food, but when it comes to beauty, there are many people who believe sea salts are far superior to Epsom salts. And one of those people is Catina Stavroulakis, the founder of The Salt Project, a San Francisco-area based body care brand that manufacturers its products using the multipurpose mineral as a main ingredient.

"Whether you're soaking in sea salt or smearing it on the surface of the skin, it's going to speak to the skin in a healing way," says Stavroulakis. To find out more about the therapeutic benefits of sea salts, just keep reading.

5 Reasons You'll Love Sea Salts More Than Epsom Salts

Jaime Richards — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:55:43 PDT

Too much salt in the diet might be a bad thing, but when it comes to using the substance on the body, it's actually quite the opposite. "I recommend sea salt because it's mineral rich," says Catina Stavroulakis, the founder of The Salt Project, a California-based company that manufactures beauty products using the healing powers of sea salts. She further explains, "Sea salt is a far greater soaking medium than Epsom salt because it speaks to the muscles and to the skin." Want to learn more? For a few reasons you might love sea salts more than Epsom salts, just keep reading.