Benefits of Various Teas

Black Tea

Caffeine fanatics favor this ever-popular (it’s said 90 percent of the tea consumed in the world is black) choice. Oolong tea, black and green tea all come from the same source, an antioxidant-rich plant called Camellia sinensis. Their main difference lies in the way they are processed, not in the amount of antioxidants they contain. Black tea and oolong tea leaves undergo a crushing and fermenting process.  But besides its antioxidant arsenal, black tea also is also high in tannic acid, while helps boost moisture levels in the skin. 

Herbal Infusions

There is a whole sect of tea that doesn’t come from leaves. Known as tisanes, or herbal teas, these teas come from flowers (like chamomile), herbs, spices and leaves, which are then combined with water. Since the components don’t come from tea leaves, they don’t contain caffeine, making them an option for those looking for a decaf option.

Green Tea

Best known for its excess of antioxidants, this delicately flavored tea has been a Far East fixture for centuries. Green tea is not fermented; it’s made of steamed fresh leaves at high temperatures, thereby inactivating the oxidizing enzymes and leaving the polyphenol content intact. Studies have also shown green tea extracts are capable of reducing fat digestion by inhibiting the activity of certain digestive enzymes.

Red Tea

Also known as roobios, red tea rivals its counterparts as the antioxidant all star of the group. Red tea is made from the dried leaves of a South American plant. It is low in caffeine and tannins and offers a high level of antioxidants such as aspalathin, nothofagin and flavanones. Because of these properties, it is becoming a popular tea of choice amongst health-conscious consumers.

White Tea

Like the other antioxidant-rich teas in the bunch, white tea packs a high amount of flavanoids, but what makes it really stand out from the bunch is its ability to bust bacteria, making it especially beneficial as an acne-reducer when added as an ingredient to skin care. 

10 Healthy Habits You Can Start Today!

It’s a brand new year…and many of us are already working on our New Year's resolutions. Some people have vowed to save more money in 2013 while others promised themselves to spend more time with family. Losing weight and being healthier are also common resolutions, but sadly – two of the least frequently kept ones.

Getting healthier isn’t hard. You don’t have to make a lot of extreme changes to make it happen. A little adjustment here and there is all you need to be well on your way to a healthier you. There are ten simple changes you can make in your lifestyle that will provide you with long lasting benefits and noticeable results.

Exercise.

You don’t have to have a strenuous exercise regimen in order to be healthy. Simply getting up and moving about works wonders. Walking is something you have to do anyway so do more of it. If you garden, do more of it. If you like to ride a bike, do more of it. Increasing your activity level helps every part of your body from your brain to your heart.

Drink more water.

Staying hydrated can ward off a host of maladies. Water helps flush impurities from your system, which has endless benefits in itself.

Eat more fruits and vegetables.

Again, you don’t have to go on a crazy diet and limit yourself in what you eat in order to be healthy. Simply adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet is very beneficial to your body. You eat them anyway – so just eat more of them. Choose a wide variety and change it up often so you don't get bored or end up feeling like sticking with it is a punishment or a chore.

Get more sleep.

Your body functions better when it’s fully rested and sometimes eight hours of sleep just isn’t enough. Some people need more in order to be at their best. Listen to your body and it will tell you when you need to rest.

Eat less sugar.

Sugar is all kinds of bad for you. It rots your teeth, makes you put on weight, and can wreak havoc on blood sugar levels. You don’t have to cut out sugar all together. Just make small changes to your diet that you will hardly even notice. Substitute a sugar free soda instead of a regular one or eat sugar free candy instead of regular chocolate. Doing the substitutions little by little won’t make you feel deprived and will make you more likely to keep in the habit.

Eat less fat.

The same way you substitute sugar free products for regular ones, you can substitute fat-free products for regular ones, too. There are lots of fat-free products on the market from dairy products to snacks. Most of them have all the flavor of your favorite foods, but none of the fat. Small, subtle changes over time is the best way to develop this new habit, just like with sugar.

Stress less.

You might be thinking that’s nearly impossible, given the fast paced, stress-filled world we’re living in. But there comes a point where you have to step back and access certain situations and realize how detrimental they can be to your health. Accept that you are human and that you have limitations. Accept that there are some things that you just cannot do. Accept the fact that there are situations and circumstances that you cannot control. Once you realize these simple things, you will automatically feel more at ease each time you’re able to let…things….go.

Quit smoking.

Quitting smoking is easier said than done, but there’s a wonderful new product on the market that can help you achieve that goal. E-cigarettes, or electronic cigarette, work off a vapor system that uses a battery to create a steam effect you inhale to mimic smoking. E-cigarettes do deliver a certain amount of nicotine, but appear to be exponentially healthier than traditional smokes. They are re-loadable, reusable and much cheaper in the long run than regular tobacco products.

Be social.

Spending a lot of time alone can really affect your mood. You need interaction with people on a semi-daily basis to keep you spirits up and your mood high. We all want to crawl in a hole sometimes and that’s okay – so long as you don’t stay there too long. Being alone and loneliness over prolonged periods of time can lead to all kinds of mental issues like depression, which can have a long and difficult recovery process.

Meditate.

It’s not just your physical health you should worry about maintaining. Having a sound and healthy mind is important, too. We need to find ways to escape to our “happy place” and learn to block out all the worries of the world and clear our heads. Meditation is a wonderful way to do this. You don’t need any special tools or training to do it. Just a quiet, relaxing place and a supply of pleasant and positive affirmations to dwell on in your mind.

The only way to ‘get healthy’ is to ‘be healthy’ and you can’t be healthy if you don’t make an effort. It doesn’t take any special skills, tools or knowledge. All you have to do is introduce small changes that, over time, will become habits. These healthy habits will eventually take the place of the unhealthy ones and bring about the changes you desire.

Being healthy is a lifestyle. It’s a commitment to yourself that you must renew each and every day – sometimes, several times a day. It takes a degree of dedication on your part to achieve it. The key to a creating a healthy lifestyle is to take baby steps. Going too fast too quickly will cause burn out and leave you feeling frustrated when it all fails. Small, tiny steps in the form of small tiny changes are all you need to embark on your journey to a healthier life

What's the Deal With Vitamin D?

Vitamin D and Strength Training – A Potent Combo to Reduce Dangerous Visceral Fat

 One of the most exciting findings is that vitamin D supplementation combined with resistance training may help decrease your waist-to-hip ratio – a measurement that is far better at determining your risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease than body mass index (BMI).

The study, published in the journal Clinical Nutrition,¹ included 23 overweight and obese participants, all of whom completed 12 weeks of resistance training. Half of them also received 4,000 IU's of vitamin D, while the other half got a placebo. Interestingly, analysis revealed an inverse association between the change in vitamin D status and the change in waist-to-hip ratio.

According to the authors:

"The results of the current study demonstrated that vitamin D supplementation improved muscular power in healthy overweight and obese individuals within four weeks and that elevated vitamin D status was associated with greater losses in waist circumference, with no additional benefits in lean mass accumulation, muscular strength, or glucose tolerance during participation in a 12-week resistance exercise training program.

The current results support previous findings that indicate a relationship between vitamin D status and waist circumference rather than fat mass. The inverse relationship with waist circumference is particularly important as abdominal fat has been implicated as an important factor in the development of Type 2 diabetes... 

Waist circumference is also an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Therefore, the greater decrease in waist circumference associated with higher vitamin D intake represents a potential reduction in risk for metabolic disease and cardiovascular risk.

 More Evidence Vitamin D May Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

Additional support for the theory that vitamin D can be beneficial in the fight against type 2 diabetes was published in June.³Here, the researchers found "a strong additive interaction between abdominal obesity and insufficient 25(OH)D in regard to insulin resistance." They also claim 47 percent of the increased odds of insulin resistance can be explained by the interaction between insufficient vitamin D levels and a high BMI. They concluded that:

"Within a cross-sectional, nationally representative sample, abdominal obesity and insufficient 25(OH)D interact to synergistically influence the risk of insulin resistance."

Yet another study⁴ published in Diabetes Care also suggests vitamin D supplements may help prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus in people with pre-diabetes. While the study is only an observational one and cannot establish causality, the researchers report that the participants who had the highest vitamin D levels were 30 percent less likely to develop diabetes during the three-year evaluation period, compared to those with the lowest levels.

Vitamin D Shows Eye Health Benefits

Next, a study⁵ published in January found that supplementing with vitamin D3 helps rejuvenate aging eyes by reducing inflammation and amyloid beta – a risk factor for age-related macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of blindness. According to the authors:

"Vitamin D3 plays a key role in immune regulation and may protect against the aging process. A focal point for age-related changes is the outer retina of the eye where there is high metabolic demand resulting in a gradual increase in extracellular deposition, inflammation, and cell loss giving rise to visual decline. Here, we demonstrate that vitamin D3 administration for only 6 weeks in aged mice significantly impacts on this aging process... Recently, vitamin D3 has been linked epidemiologically to protection against age-related macular degeneration. Hence, vitamin D3 enrichment is likely to represent a beneficial route for those at risk."

Dietary Vitamin D and Sun Exposure Linked to Reduced Alzheimer's Risk

Speaking of amyloid beta, this component is not just a risk factor for macular degeneration, it's also found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. No wonder then that scientists have discovered an association between vitamin D status and your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.⁶ As reported by Dr. William Grant for The Vitamin D Council:⁷

"This cohort included women over the age of 75 years at time of enrollment and was designed to study risk factors for hip fractures over a four-year period. Women who had taken vitamin D supplements in the 18 months prior to enrollment were excluded. Dietary factors and midday sun exposure habits were examined at time of enrollment. The mean dietary vitamin D intake was 334±172 IU/day. The presence of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias was assessed seven years after enrollment.

Those in the highest fifth of vitamin D intake had one-quarter the incidence rate of Alzheimer's disease as the other four fifths... In addition, those in the highest fifth of sun exposure had half the incidence rate of Alzheimer's disease..." "

Reminder: The Best Form of Vitamin D Does Not Come in a Pill...

Again, while this article is focused on research related to vitamin D supplementation, it's important to remember that the IDEAL way to optimize your vitamin D levels is through appropriate sun. While your skin does create vitamin D3 in response to sun light, which is theoretically the same as the D3 you get from an oral supplement, there's cause to believe that the vitamin D created from sun exposure may have additional health benefits.

If Taking a Vitamin D Supplement, Take the Right Form

Keep in mind that if you do opt for a supplement, make sure you're taking vitamin D3 and not the synthetic D2. This is important, as a recent analysis¹⁷ of 50 randomized controlled trials, which included a total of 94,000 participants, showed:

• A six percent relative reduction in mortality among those who used vitamin D3, but
• A two percent relative risk increase among those who used D2

Also, while Europe is doing the responsible thing by increasing the recommended daily allowance for vitamin D, it's important to realize that the most important factor is your serum vitamin D level (the level in your blood), not the dose. The only way to determine whether you're within the therapeutic range is to regularly test your vitamin D levels. If you're like most people, you'll likely need far more than 4,000 IU's a day. According to the most recent research, the ideal adult dose is closer to 8,000 IU's a day in order to achieve serum levels at or above 40 ng/ml.

That said, you really should be taking whatever dosage required to obtain a therapeutic level of vitamin D in your blood.

Start your skin out right in 2013!

My biggest pet peeve?......Wearing your makeup to bed!...... Wash your face at night!!!

Don’t worry: It’s not too late. Here, we break down your bad skin habits and show you how to avoid them—and look 10 years younger.

Skipping sunscreen

The No. 1 way you’re aging your skin? Not wearing sunscreen daily.

“The sun is the primary cause of skin aging,” says Neil Sadick, MD, a New York City–based dermatologist. The sun can reach you on cloudy, rainy, or snowy days as well. Plus, Dr. Sadick adds, “skin-damaging UV rays can penetrate through glass, so you need to apply sun protection even indoors.”

He suggests choosing a broad-spectrum sunscreen, which blocks both types of UV rays, UVA and UVB, with an SPF of at least 30. Antioxidant-fortified formulas containing ingredients such as resveratrol, vitamin C, idebenone, or coffee berry can offer additional protection.

Neglecting your hands and neck

Your face isn’t the only area that needs a little TLC. Overexposure to sun affects your hands and neck just as much as your complexion. These areas show signs of aging, like dark spots, dryness, and loss of firmness, notes Dr. Sadick.

Treat your neck and the backs of your hands as you would your face by generously applying moisturizer and sunscreen. While you can buy body-specific products, they aren’t necessary. Those formulated for your face will work just fine, Dr. Sadick says.

Going to bed without removing your makeup

You may find it tempting to fall into bed after a busy day—or a late night on the town—without cleaning your face. But skipping a cleanser at night can lead to breakouts later.

During the day, environmental toxins (like dirt and pollution) build up on skin and invade pores, which can cause complexion problems, says Dr. Sadick. So don’t hit the sack before you wash. Use a good cleanser and save your skin. Keep a box of cleansing towelettes bedside for added convenience—simply swipe and sleep.

Ditching products too quickly

If you’re frustrated that your new anti-aging moisturizer isn’t doing its job, stick it out longer before switching. Bouncing from product to product may leave you with the impression that nothing works for your skin.

Dr. Jacob recommends that you give a new product at least six weeks to produce a change in your complexion. “One skin cycle takes 30 days [for new cells to reach the top layer of skin], so in order to see a real difference in texture, tone, and clarity, you need to use it for more than a month,” she says. If the product contains anti-aging ingredients, wait even longer. Your skin takes about four months to regenerate collagen and elastin, she says.

Using too many products at once

If a new moisturizer is good, then the combination of a new serum, toner, and night cream must be better, right?

Not so fast. If your skin gets irritated after you use a handful of new products, you won’t know what’s causing the problem and assume they’re all irritating. Instead, “start with one at a time, and integrate a new product every two weeks,” says Dr. Jacob. That way, you’ll be better able to identify what’s aggravating you, or know what combination of them makes your skin go haywire. Plus, you’ll also save some cash by buying only what you need.

Getting insufficient shut-eye can age skin prematurely—and, in the short run, result in dark circles and a lackluster complexion. During the day, our skin cells are battling against an onslaught of stressors, like UV rays and pollution. Sleep is vital because stress hormones drop to normal levels at night, giving cells time to repair and rejuvenate, says Dr. Jacob.

Plus, stress raises the levels of the hormone cortisol, which increases oil production and can lead to bouts of acne, according to Dr. Jacob. So make sure you’re not depriving yourself of the sleep you need.

Skimping on sleep

Getting insufficient shut-eye can age skin prematurely—and, in the short run, result in dark circles and a lackluster complexion. During the day, our skin cells are battling against an onslaught of stressors, like UV rays and pollution. Sleep is vital because stress hormones drop to normal levels at night, giving cells time to repair and rejuvenate, says Dr. Jacob.

Plus, stress raises the levels of the hormone cortisol, which increases oil production and can lead to bouts of acne, according to Dr. Jacob. So make sure you’re not depriving yourself of the sleep you need.

New Running Shoes: Getting Healthy 2013

I buy new running shoes frequently. Love my Asics Gel-Noosa Tri-8!! If you are going to start any new exercise program to get healthy in 2013, start by buying new shoes designed for your particular workouts....i.e., running, aerobics, hiking, etc.

 Runners often push through the last few miles during a workout, but when it comes to replacing a pair of running shoes, those last few miles could be the catalyst for an injury. 

 “The shoes are really your first line of defense against a lot of injuries,” said Dr. Darrin Bright, medical director for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon and the Capital City and Dublin’s Emerald City half-marathons.

“Every time your foot strikes the ground, four to five times your body weight has to be absorbed by your body.”

Shoes take some of the bullets for runners. Bright said the typical life of a well-built running shoe is 250 to 500 miles. When a shoe reaches that age, it has lost about 40 percent of its shock-absorbing capacity.

“If your shoes aren’t doing it, then it’s your shins, your knees and your hips,” Bright said.

But 250 to 500 miles is a big gap, Bright said, and there are plenty of other factors that help dictate the death of a shoe, such as running surfaces.

“Concrete is a little bit harder than some of the other surfaces we run on,” Bright said. “I think the ideal surface is more asphalt or a very hard, packed-down trail — it’s not quite as hard, and we don’t see the same forces.”

The stature of a runner also influences wear and tear, Bright said. People with larger frames who come down hard can wear out a shoe quickly. On the other hand (or foot, in this case), shoes belonging to light runners with quick gaits could last 500 miles.

Others measure their shoes’ life in months. Bright said, depending on how much a runner hits the trails, running shoes could last six to 12 months.

Bright has completed about 50 marathons and typically runs 50 to 70 miles a week. He replaces his shoes every six to eight weeks and writes on his new pair with a black Sharpie to remember when he bought them and when they should be discarded.

Running on a worn-down shoe can lead to injuries. Bright, the OhioHealth sports medicine physician at MAX Sports Medicine, said the injuries he worries about are shin splints, stress fractures, Achilles tendinitis and other strains. Stress fractures account for about 15 percent of all running injuries.

Some injuries build up over time. When a shoe is worn out, runners can often feel a new ache or pain that might indicate they need a new pair. But other acute injuries could happen without warning.

“I look at running shoes as more of an investment than an expense,” Bright said.

Zach Webster, a sales associate for Second Sole Racing, said the typical pair of running shoes or cross-trainers costs about $100.

But Webster said an athlete can’t judge a shoe’s life by its appearance.

“The shoes can still look good aesthetically, but the internal components start to go,” he said.

Brooke Miller, a 19-year-old Ohio State University student who runs half-marathons, said she buys a shoe that has good support, but even that’s not enough.

“I put different insoles in my shoe,” Miller said. “I want to protect my legs as long as I can.”& amp; amp; amp; amp; lt; /p>

Brice Allen, associate head coach of the OSU track team, said he doesn’t take any chances with his distance runners’ footwear.

Six pairs of shoes are pre-ordered for each athlete at the beginning of the season, and the coaches issue the shoes in two pairs. The runners are expected to rotate the pairs so they last longer.

Allen said that with their workouts, the male distance runners average about 50 miles a week and reach their shoes’ mileage limit in five or six weeks.

Injuries caused by worn-out shoes are a risk Allen said he is unwilling to take.

“It’s not worth it for $90,” he said. “It’s better to be in good equipment.”

msomerson@dispatch.com

Botox for Depression? Read a recent study....

Scientists believe Botox could help to treat mental illness

It has long been recognised for its wrinkle-busting properties. 

Now, scientists believe Botox could also help to treat mental illness.

New research shows that the cosmetic treatment can dramatically improve the symptoms of severe depression in more than a quarter of patients.

Dr Eric Finzi, medical director at the Chevy Chase Cosmetic Centre, in Maryland, has carried out research which suggests that physical expressions of emotion influence our feelings.

For this reason, he believes that smoothing out frown lines using Botox can actually improve the mood of people with clinical depression.

For example, he claims his latest research shows that forcing a frown can cause a depressed mood, while deliberately smiling can temporarily increase happiness.

As American actress Phyllis Diller once said: 'A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.'

This is the second of Dr Finzi’s studies which comes to this conclusion.

He first proposed the theory that by preventing frowning, the toxin is interrupting signals to the brain that indicate the body is under stress or cannot cope.

For the newest study, Dr Finzi worked with 84 people with severe depression that lasted for an average of two years and which had not fully responded to treatment with antidepressants.

 

The patients all received either Botox treatment to smooth out frown lines, or a placebo injection into the same facial region. They were then assessed three and six weeks later.

By the end of the study, 27 per cent of those receiving Botox reported nearly complete remission of their depression compared to just 7 per cent of those who received the placebo.

Dr Finzi said: ‘This trial shows that inhibition of frowning can lead to remission in depression.’

The researchers suggests that physical expressions of emotion influence our feelings

Botox is a well-known cosmetic treatment for age-related wrinkles around the eyes and forehead. 

However, the powerful toxin also has a wide range of medical applications, and is used to treat stroke victims' muscle spasms, can ease migraine and even helps people with Parkinson's disease control their movements.

It works by 'paralysing' small groups of muscles to prevent them going into spasm or contracting regularly. This stops the surrounding skin from wrinkling.

Scientists have also recently discovered that Botox could help fight cancer by boosting the effects of chemotherapy, speeding up the destruction of tumour cells.

In another experiment, Australian scientists have been trying to establish whether applying Botox gel to the nose could give hay fever sufferers relief from sneezing, itchy eyes and runny noses for up to three months.

It is hoped that the botulinum toxin will affect the nerves in the nose and potentially block some of the chemicals released by the nerve endings which play a large role in causing hay fever symptoms. 

To try and treat the allergy, the Botox molecule has been re-engineered to be able to penetrate through the skin but also through the lining of the nose.

 

'My life did a 360-degree turnaround': A patient's verdict of Dr Finzi's earlier experiment

In his first study, in 2006, Dr Finzi and his colleague Dr Erika Wasserman recruited ten women aged between 36 and 63 with a medical history of depression.

The average period of depression was 3.5 years, although one patient had been ill for 17 years and had not responded well to conventional treatments.

'Patients who have had their frown lines treated with Botox are perceived by others to be happier'

Seven out of the ten had been on anti-depressants but continued to be dogged by severe depression before taking part in the study.

Each volunteer - none of whom had had Botox before - underwent a thorough assessment by a clinical psychologist before the experiment began.

They were then injected with the toxin and told to report back in two months, when another psychological assessment was carried out.

Using a questionnaire designed to measure the scale of depression, the researchers discovered nine were no longer clinically depressed and the one who still was reported a significant improvement in symptoms.

'Patients who have had their frown lines treated with Botox are perceived by others to be happier,' says Dr Finzi.

One woman with an 11-year history of depression said her life 'did a 360-degree turnaround' after the experiment. She got a new job and rekindled an old romance.

Some of the volunteers were seen again eight months later and their symptoms had returned as the toxin's effects wore off.

Dry skin? Try increasing your Vitamin D

(NaturalNews) One of the major drawbacks of winter is the effect cold, dry weather has on your skin. The good news is, research shows that upping your vitamin D intake could actually help mitigate that problem and keep your skin looking and feeling better.

One recent study by the Johnson and Johnson Skin Research Center found a link between low vitamin D levels and drier skin, "which was subsequently ameliorated by topical application of vitamin D," according to a summary.

Researchers conducted an observational study of two groups of 83 and 61 subjects. In the first part of the study, blood serum levels and skin conductance measurements were taken in the group of 83 participants following a one-week washout period.

"Results showed subjects with lower levels of vitamin D had lower average skin moisture," the summary said.

Sound vitamin D levels mean moister skin, less irritation

From that group, a subset of 61 study participants with insufficient vitamin D serum levels were given a topical ointment containing vitamin D. "Results showed increased skin moisture and improved clinical grading of dry skin," said the summary. Overall, the findings "suggest a relationship between vitamin D3 levels and hydration of" skin.

"Some people use vitamin D for skin conditions including vitiligo, scleroderma, psoriasis, actinic keratosis, and lupus vulgaris," added a summary of vitamin D in general from the U.S. National Library of Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health.

In fact, a number of studies have shown that vitamin D is very crucial in maintaining the correct balance of tissues present in skin. A lack of balance "can lead to wrinkled and parched skin due to disruption in this balancing phenomenon," writes Pratima Sharma for OnlyMyHealth.com. "The relationship between skin balance and vitamin D is a mutually beneficial one. One is responsible for the other, and vice versa."

The skin consists of a special layer designed to convert ultraviolet B radiation from the sun into vitamin D; a lack of sun can hamper this conversion, and in the winter, when it is much more cloudy, that can have a substantial impact on the dryness of your skin.

"Another smart way of treating vitamin D deficiency is by exposing yourself to the sun, optimally," Sharma says. "You need to consider making the most of the morning sun as much as possible."

Boost your 'D' with diet

That said, she and other experts caution that too much exposure to sunlight can also be harmful. Fortunately, besides taking vitamin D capsules and using topical vitamin D-containing lotions, you can obtain much of the supplement in the foods you eat:

-- Catch a plate of salmon. "In addition to providing more than 100 percent of your vitamin D requirements for the day, this fatty fish is chockfull of omega-3 fatty acids, which can help combat dry skin and hair. Other good fish sources containing vitamin D include sardines, cod liver oil and tuna," writes registered dietician Kristin Kirkpatrick, for the Huffington Post. Eggs also contain a healthy dose of vitamin D.

-- Enjoy a glass of sunshine - orange juice. By starting your day off with an eight-ounce glass of fresh, tangy orange juice you can get about one-third of your daily vitamin D requirement. And here's an additional benefit: You get vitamin C as well, which strengthens collagen, an element that is key to slowing the rate of aging of the skin.

-- Grab a cup of yogurt. A regular helping of this tasty food provides about 20 percent of your daily requirement of vitamin D, and comes with the added benefit of being a probiotic food that adds "good" bacteria to your intestinal tract for better digestion and fewer infections.

-- Healthy whole-grain breakfast. Choosing a healthy, whole-grain breakfast cereal to start your day off right can give you a quarter of the daily vitamin D you need, as well as a good dose of fiber, which can help you maintain a better weight. Check the label before you buy and make sure you're getting a cereal fortified with vitamin D.

Sources:

http://www.vitasearch.com/get-clp-summary/40491

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

http://www.onlymyhealth.com/dry-skin-vitamin-d-deficiency-1320819921

Fight Dark Spots in Dark Skin

Credit: Thinkstock

Melanin, in the simplest terms, is the pigmentation found within our skin that gives it a brown or dark color. And how much melanin you have in your skin determines how you treat it, especially as you age.

Very dark skin, for instance, is prone to sun damage and is more susceptible to developing brown spots from acne. "When you have more pigment in the skin, the melanocytes (cells that make pigment), have a tendency to release the pigment granules upon being injured. Therefore, it is easier to have dark pigment left behind after an injury (such as a burn, scratch or inflammation from acne), says Coral Gables, FL, dermatologist Janelle Vega, MD.  

However, "melasma is the most common affliction for women with ethnic skin," she says. "Many don’t grow up with the idea that they should be wearing sunscreen on a daily basis for sun protection, especially since some have an easier ability to tan and not burn." But the sun doesn’t care what color skin you have, it still wreaks havoc and sun exposure is one of the main influencers of melasma.  

While hyperpigmentation and dark spots are not limited to light skin, many treatments for it are. Some in-office lasers are a great way to help hyperpigmentation for lighter skin, but actually can make dark skin look worse. So if you have a deep skin tone, Dr. Vega says to avoid heavy resurfacing ablative lasers, as they will cause more problems than not.

To prevent melasma, first and foremost, she recommends using a physical sunblock of at least SPF 30 every day. To treat it, medium strength peels including glycolic acid or a very low percent tricyclic acid peel can help break up some of the pigment and allow topical creams at home help to penetrate the skin better. 

If you have post-inflammatory dark spots, IPL (intense pulsed light) can be used with caution, she says. There are also resurfacing treatments that can help. "One of the newest technologies is sublative rejuvenation (eMatrix), which uses radiofrequency technology to tighten the skin and improve the texture and tone of the skin.  It helps to lift the superficial pigment without the risk," she says.

If you are looking to go the cosmeceutical route, there are certain ingredients in over-the-counter skin care products that have been shown to reduce pigment. Look for emblica, kojic acid, licorice and niacinamide, to name a few.