Researchers link obesity to birth defects

LONDON (Reuters) - Obese women are more likely to give birth to children with spina bifida, heart problems, cleft palate and a number of other defects, British researchers said on Tuesday.

The findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association underscore obesity's role as a major health problem and add to evidence that being too heavy while pregnant carries risks for both mother and child.

Katherine Stothard and colleagues from Britain's Newcastle University combined data from 18 studies to look at the risk of abnormalities of babies whose mothers were obese or overweight.

Obese women were nearly twice as likely to have a baby with neural tube defects, which are caused by the incomplete development of the brain or spinal cord, the study found. For one such defect, spina bifida, the risk more than doubled.

The researchers also detected increased chances of heart defects, cleft lip and palate, water on the brain and problems in the growth of arms and legs.

There were hints the same may hold true for overweight women too but the data did not turn up enough evidence for the team to reach any firm conclusions.

Researchers stressed that because birth abnormalities affect only about two to four percent of pregnancies, the absolute risk for obese women remains low.

"Obesity increases the risk of many pregnancy complications, and this article further clarifies that obesity impacts the risk of birth defects, especially neural tube defects and congenital heart defects," said Loralei Thornburg of the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, who was not involved in the study.

The World Health Organization classifies around 400 million people around the world as obese, including 20 million under the age of five, and the number is growing.

Obesity raises the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart problems and is a health concern piling pressure on already overburdened national health systems.

Recent research has tied weight to other problems during pregnancy. A team from the Rand Corp think tank in California reported in 2008 that women who get pregnant after weight-loss surgery tend to be healthier and less likely to deliver a baby born with complications compared to obese women.

Further study may show how obesity may cause these problems, Judith Rankin, a Newcastle University researcher who worked on the study, said in a telephone interview.

Honesty About Exercise Tied to Weight

When people with weight problems talk about their exercise and eating habits, many doctors and nutritionists don’t believe them. That’s because studies show that overweight people commonly underestimate the amount of food they’re eating.

But exercise habits appear to be a different story. New research shows that people with weight problems are far more tuned into how much they exercise than they are often given credit for.

In a study presented at the Obesity Society’s annual meeting, researchers from Temple University’s Center for Obesity Research and Education in Philadelphia found that obese women were more accurate in reporting their activity levels than overweight or normal weight women.

For 12 months, the researchers studied 280 normal weight, overweight and obese women whose average age was 47. The women were equipped with accelerometers, devices that measure physical activity, and asked how much they exercised at the beginning of the study, after three months and at 12 months. Notably, women who were normal weight or overweight, but not obese, had a more difficult time estimating their physical activity levels. But women who were obese — meaning they had a body mass index above 30 — came much closer to accurately estimating how much they were exercising.

Study lead author Tracy Oliver said that obese women are often considered “less credible” when they report their caloric intake, and that she expected they would also have a difficult time estimating their physical activity. She speculated that the opposite finding may be due to the fact that exercise and even low levels of physical activity may be particularly challenging for an obese person.

For Health, Body Size Can Be Misleading

Many overweight and obese people are metabolically healthy, while large numbers of slim people have health problems typically associated with obesity, a new study shows.

The findings, based on national health data collected from 5,440 adults, shows that weight often is not a reliable barometer for health. In addition to looking at height and weight, the study, published this week in The Archives of Internal Medicine, tracked blood pressure, “good” cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar and an inflammatory marker called c-reactive protein, all of which are viewed as indicators of cardiovascular health.

Overall, thin people were still metabolically healthier than people who were overweight or obese. But being a normal weight was not a reliable indicator of health. In the study, about 24 percent of thin adults, or about 16 million people, posted unhealthy levels for at least two of the risk factors.

By comparison, among the overweight, about half the people had two or more of the risk factors. But half of them were also metabolically healthy. And nearly one out of three obese people were also metabolically fit.

While it’s long been known that it’s better to be fit and fat than being thin and sedentary, the new data are believed to be the first time researchers have documented the unreliability of body size as an indicator for overall health.

Study author MaryFran Sowers, a University of Michigan obesity researcher, told The Associated Press that the results show that stereotypes about body size can be misleading, and that even ”less voluptuous” people can have risk factors commonly associated with obesity.

Acne

What is Acne?

Acne is a common skin condition that occurs in more than 80% of the population. It's when bacteria grows in a plugged follicle.

Anyone can experience acne at any time. While it is most common in teenagers, everyone experiences it at some point in their life. It most commonly occurs due to hormonal imbalances such as puberty. A less severe form of acne can occur during menopausal women.

Usually Acne occurs on the face, neck and chest area. The large and deep pimples are called cystic lesions and can cause painful infections and scarring. Its primary cause is from elevated hormone levels particularly testosterone, which stimulates the sebaceous glands to produce more oil, or sebum, which is secreted through the hair shafts to lubricate and protect the skin.

Sebum combines with dead skin cells forming pore clogs and leading to pimples.

The actual cause of acne is not known, however we do know that the pores block sebum (oil) from escaping, but it's not fully understood why this happens.

It's important to note however, that one of the worst things you can do is to confuse your skin with lots of different chemicals. The problem with doing that is it upsets the delicate pH balance and often results in drying and loss of your skin's condition.

The skin is a very sensitive organ, not ot meniton that it's also the largest organ of our bodies. Your skin is your first line of defense as well as an integral part of your immune system, subjecting it to too many synthetic chemicals can compromise your immune system and lessen your defenses.

Acne Prevention Tips

While some products come very close to curing acne, there's no real 'cure'. Your efforts are better spent being pro-active and using acne prevention methods instead.

Products such as benzoyl Peroxide and acutane are the closest things to acne prevention, however, there are also things that you can do at home to keep acne at bay or from getting worse.

• Gently wash your face every day. Take care not to scrubtoo hard or use scrubbing materials. Also do not wash too often. Once or twice a day is generally sufficient.

• Avoiding excessive sweating. Since sweating can be hard to avoid,wash soon after participating in activities that cause you to sweat. Anti-bacterial wipes for your face are a good idea to carry with you for times that you may sweat excessively.

• Wash your hair often if you hair is oily. Also try to keep it off your face as much as possible.

• Avoid hair care products such as gels, mousses, cream rinses or hair products that contain lots of oils. These can actually make your acne worse.

• Shaving and Acne - Gentlemen, shave with care. Those who shave and who have acne can test both electric and safety razors to see which is more comfortable. If you use a safety razor, you should use a sharp blade and soften your beard thoroughly with soap and water before applying shaving cream. Nicking blemishes can be avoided by shaving lightly and only when necessary.

• Avoid Frequent Handling of your Skin - Never squeeze, pick or pop a pimple. If you do, you risk developing scars or dark blotches. People should avoid rubbing and touching their skin lesions. Please don't pop pimples, no matter how small the pimple, it can leave scars.

• Choosing Makeup - All cosmetics should be oil free, be sure to read the label. It may be hard to apply foundation evenly during the first few weeks of treatment because the skin may be red or scaly, particularly with the use of topical tretinoin or benzoyl peroxide. Oily hair products may eventually spread over the forehead, causing closed comedones or closed pores. Products that are labeled as noncomedogenic (do not promote the formation of closed pores) should be used. Keep in mind that even though certain products may claim to be recommended for acne prone skin they can sometimes still cause acne, so be careful with makeup.
  
• Always use a sunscreen. The sun is never good for your skin. Many of the medications used to treat acne can make you sensitive to the sun and cause burning. A sunburn that reddens the skin or suntan that darkens the skin may make blemishes less visible and make the skin feel drier. However, these benefits are only temporary, and there are known risks of excessive sun exposure, such as more rapid skin aging and a risk of developing skin cancer.

Sensitive Skin Care

Ok, you have sensitive skin, not so unusual, lots of people have sensitive skin. All it means is that your skin can become itchy red, swollen or sensitive to certain things place on your skin or even environmental conditions can irritate it.

Why does skin become sensitive?

There are lots of reasons why our skin becomes sensitive but if you think about the things we expose our skin to on a daily basis there's a lot of different chemical exposures there. Things like soaps, toners, blemish reducers, acne concealers, foundations, blush, facial masks, after shave lotion – the list goes on!

Even the toughest of skin might encounter a reaction with all that we expose it to.

Causes of sensitive skin

Trying to pinpoint the cause of sensitive skin is not always as simple as discontinuing use of a certain product. Because of the nature of sensitive skin, it can take hours or even days before the signs of sensitivity are visible. And the sensitivity may not be caused by a product. Exposure to the sun can create skin problems, as can extremely hot water. Your laundry detergent, fabric softeners, shampoo, perfume, hair spray, and even the household cleaning products you use can be the culprit. Certain foods and even some plants can cause symptoms of an allergic reaction as well.

Healthy skin is less sensitive because it's able to act as an effective barrier. Sunburned skin, skin that's excessively dry and skin that is otherwise damaged tends to be more sensitive. That's one reason why people who don't normally have sensitive skin develop skin sensitivity during winter months when dry, cold air strips skin of its protective moisture.

How to treat sensitive skin

Before sensitive skin can be treated, it's important to figure out the underlying cause of the problem. It may be necessary to seek the advice of a dermatologist as you may have a skin condition such as eczema, psoriasis or rosacea. Here are some tips for treating sensitive skin.

Start reading product labels - the fewer skin care ingredients, the better. Avoid products ingredients containing alcohol, fragrances, botanicals, antibacterial, ethanol and propylene glycol.

Spot test new facial products before applying to entire face. Apply a few dabs behind ears for 5 days, and if there's no reaction, apply beside eyes for another 5 days. If all goes well, full facial coverage likely will be safe.

Choose natural fabrics for pillowcases and washcloths like 100% cotton or silk instead of synthetic materials. Check your 'cotton' balls, too. Some look like cotton but really are polyester.

Eat a balanced diet to ensure skin gets the nutrients it needs to remain healthy.

Keep skin moist and always apply sun protection.

Gently clean skin. Avoid harsh products like scrubbing mitts, excessively hot water and abrasive exfoliating products.

Determine Your Skin Type

Each of us has varying skin types and it helps to know how to care for your skin by first understanding what type of skin you have.

The following describes how to recognize the 3 basic skin types, combination skin, oily skin and dry skin.

Once you are able to fully understand which skin type describes you, then you'll be able to better care for you skin avoiding things like acne breakouts, premature aging, age spots and simply learning how to improve the overall look of your skin, not only on your face but on your whole body.

Combination Skin Type

If you have combination skin you are in a separate category of skin type, that's because it's not completely oily, dry, or normal, instead it's a combination that is characterized as normal and oily skin, or skin that's oily and dry. In other words, like the song, combination skin is 'a little bit of this, and a little bit of that'.

The commonality in either type of combination skin is the presence of oily areas, so you have to be careful not to further aggravate these areas. Usually, it's the areas with the highest concentration of oil-producing glands – the face, chest, shoulders and the back – that are the oiliest. Other body parts have fewer oil glands which is why they're either normal or have characteristics of dryness.

The cause of combination skin really has to do with oil-producing glands that produce more oil than normal. Dryness is primarily caused by the environment, age and the breakdown of the intracellular matrix.

Most people know whether they have combination skin just by looking at it. The areas that appear shiny will be more prone to acne. Makeup and other cosmetics usually won't last through an entire day without re-application. Dry areas flake and appear dull and may feel irritated.

Skin care for combination skin

Proper skin care for combination skin is a delicate balancing act. You don't want to over-moisturize the oily areas, which mainly include the 'T-zone' of your face, or you risk waking up with an explosion of blemishes that can take over your face. On the other hand, you don't want to apply products formulated for oily skin to the areas that aren't oily or you risk waking up with skin that feels tight, dry and scaly, especially around the eyes and mouth.

So what's the proper way to care for combination skin?

Cleansing twice daily with warm water and a gentle facial cleanser is most important. This helps to remove dead skin cells, dirt and excess oil so they don't block pore openings.

Follow with a toner that's either water-based or glycerin-based after cleansing to help remove remaining residue. Periodic exfoliating is recommended to remove any remaining dead cells so new skin can take its place. It helps keep skin looking fresh and radiant. Be sure to look for skin care products that are designed to balance the different skin types.

For oily-normal skin, you want to keep your skin hydrated, but dry in the areas prone to excessive oil. Choose moisturizers that are water-based rather than oil-based, making sure to apply sparingly to oil-prone areas. Spot-treat blemishes as necessary. Benzoyl peroxide products are very effective. Apply cosmetics designed to absorb oils, like powders or dab with oil-absorbing tissues as necessary.

For oily-dry skin, moisturizing dry areas with emollient-based products is important to keep skin feeling fresh. The eyes may need an even heavier moisturizer, if this is the case just be sure to keep it away from the T-zone.

And never forget the importance of sun protection and applying sunscreen. The good news is that many foundations and powders nowadays work both as a make-up and a sunscreen.

Dry Skin Type

Dry skin can be a blessing but more often it is troublesome. Those with dry skin don't generally need not worry about acne except for the occasional stray that appears from hormonal changes or stress. But dry skin looks dull and flaky. And worse, it can emphasize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Age and the environment are two factors that contribute to this skin type. Over time, the sebaceous glands within the dermis layer slow their production of sebum, the body's natural moisturizer. The skin's ability to retain moisture also lessens as we grow older. This is caused by the breakdown of the intracellular matrix, the collagen and elastin layer that helps hold skin tissue together. When this layer begins to break apart, it becomes more difficult for skin to hold in moisture. As moisture escapes, skin becomes drier.

Other causes of dry skin include climates that are arid, windy and dry. Use of harsh soaps and detergents and too much unprotected exposure to the sun's damaging rays can also negatively influence skin. Genetics plays a role as well.

How do I know I have dry skin?

First consider where you live. Windy areas and areas with low humidity cause dryness by stripping skin of its natural oils. Living in areas where winters are cold causes skin trouble as well. Even if you don't spend much time outdoors, interior heaters as well as air conditioning units in hot, dry climates can sap the air of moisture and cause dry skin.

Visible indicators of dry skin include skin that flakes easily. Plus, dry skin often looks tight and taut because pore openings are very tiny. If you don't yet see these tell-tale signs of dry skin but you're at or approaching mid-life, it's time to start looking.

Caring for dry skin

If you have dry skin, proper care involves retaining as much moisture as possible. One way is to avoid using products containing alcohol because alcohol dries. Recommended ingredients for dry skin include alpha hydroxy, lactic acids, petroleum, lanolin and glycerin so take time to read product labels.

Dry skin won't always feel like it needs to be cleansed, but it does, twice daily, morning and night. Using a gentle cleanser made especially for skin that's dry, cleanse using warm, not hot water. Finish off with a cool rinse. It's never a good idea to use hot water to clean any type of skin or to soak in a tub because doing so will only strip skin of its natural oils.

After washing your skin, pat it dry using a soft towel but don't dry completely, leave your skin a little moist, then apply a light moisturizer. Those containing Vitamin E are excellent choices. If you wear make-up choose foundations that contain the moisturizing ingredients mentioned above.

Help keep skin hydrated by drinking water and increasing your consumption of high water content foods such as cucumbers and watermelon. Most fruits and vegetables are excellent hydrating foods plus they're excellent sources of important vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. Antioxidants are crucial in helping maintain the skin's intracellular matrix.

Oily Skin Type

Of all the skin types, oily skin is often the most challenging. Oil production is completely natural and is the result of the sebaceous glands located in the dermis or middle layer of skin. These natural oils help keep skin moist and supple. But for some, the sebaceous glands produce too much oil, leading to the most dreaded of the skin types – oily skin.

How do I know I have oily skin?

Most teen-agers have oily skin because this is the time when hormone production is in full swing. But if you've passed your teen years, there are other ways of determining whether or not you have oily skin. It's fairly easy to detect, so start by looking in the mirror. Do you notice a sheen on your skin, especially in your 'T-Zone?' The T-Zone starts at the point between your eyes and extends vertically down along your nose all the way to your chin. The zone also runs horizontally across the bridge of your nose, starting and ending at the center point below each eye.

You may or may not notice the sheen during the day, so check again first thing after waking. If there's a sheen, chances are good you have oily skin. While you're standing at the mirror, take a look at your hair. If it's oily, it's another indication you likely have oily skin. If you wear make-up, specifically foundation, and you find it fades or wears off after a couple of hours, that's yet another indication of oily skin. If you're constantly patting your face with powder or even a handkerchief it's probably because of oily skin.

The presence of blemishes is another good indication although stress, hormones and other factors can all cause outbreaks. And remember that oily skin isn't found only on the face. The back, neck, chest, shoulders and arms can all be oily.

How to care for oily skin?

If you do have oily skin, you probably feel that the best way to combat it is to strip away those pore-clogging, sheen-producing oils. Don't! Although they cause trouble for your complexion, oils produced by the sebaceous glands are important because they act as the skin's natural moisturizer. And oily skin is sometimes sensitive. Rather than completely remove oil, you need to keep it under control.

Another reason not to use harsh soaps that strip away oil is that doing so may cause the sebaceous glands to increase their oil production. They'll instinctively want to replenish the lost oils and you may end up with a bigger problem.

You've got to keep oily skin clean so that pores openings remain clear. Otherwise, dead cells, dirt and other bacteria will clog pores and cause pimples. Skin is delicate so always use a gentle cleanser and warm, not hot water. Exfoliate weekly with a non-abrasive product to help remove any pore-clogging material or use a toner that does not list alcohol as an ingredient.

Use products that moisturize in moderation and according to directions. Make sure the cosmetics and sun protection you use are oil-free. Look for skin care products with the words 'non-comedogenic' or 'non-acnegenic' on the labels.