Weight Loss Helps Improves Your Memory Capacity

If you think losing that excess weight that you carry around everyday helps in looking your best, think again! There are more benefits in losing that extra pound than you think.  Not only shedding excess weight is good for overall health, a new study suggests that weight loss can also help improve memory and overall brain activity in women. Learn how to kill two birds withone stone, the more reason to lose that weight you have been delaying all this while.

Scientists from Umea University in Sweden came to a conclusion in their study. They used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to monitor the brain activity of a group of subject ranged from 20 year olds and overweight women as they underwent a series of cognitive tests.

They found that obesity-related impairments in memory function are reversible. Their memory skills showed significant improvement after the subjects were made to lose weight after being put on a six month long diet plan.

The memory of events that happen throughout one's life also known as episodic memory was found to be impaired in obese people. A previous research has proven that this is a fact that is undeniable.

In another study done in 2010 by North western medicine in the US found that you can even equate the above in a formula. What they found was that memory loss was proportional to how much a woman weighs and this even differs depending on whether subjects are pear or apple-shaped.

The more weight she carried around her hips, or the more pear-shaped she was, the more pronounced and significant the memory loss compared to women who carry excess fat around their waists, the study found.

According to the lead author Andreas Petterson of the Swedish study, the altered and changed brain activity after significant weight loss suggests that the brain becomes more active while storing new memories and therefore needs fewer brain resources to recollect and retrieve stored information.

In the cognitive tests, the subjects have to pair faces with names presented on a screen. In the meanwhile, the researchers will examine the subjects’ brain activity using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This is process known as "encoding".

After weight loss, brain activity increased during the memory encoding exercises in regions important for identification and the matching of faces, researchers said. Brain activity also decreased in areas responsible for impaired episodic memories, indicating more efficient retrieval.

Losing and maintaining an optimal weight does offer more than just looking good in front of the mirror! Improve your brain power now by learning how to lose that extra pound at Fat Loss Secrets

Know Thee Enemy, and Protect Yourself from Haze

When you wake up in the morning, you stare at the view outside your window and noticed that the 5 storey building across the street is nowhere to be found. You wonder what happened. Then you realized it is a notorious weather phenomenon that is causing it, simply known as haze. The view across the street is blurred by the thick haze that is present in the neighborhood.

In the end, we can’t enjoy our blue sky, can’t breathe in the fresh morning air, this freakish weather repeats itself almost every year during this dry season. 

Anatomy of the dreaded Haze

Haze is an atmospheric condition where particles, smoke, dust and moisture suspended in the air, and obscuring visibility. The haze affects every individual differently. Factors include severity of haze and exposure time.

Most of the short term side effects would be as follow:

• dry and irritated eyes,
• stuffy nose or sneezing,
• throat irritation or coughing,
• headache, dizziness, fatigue and stress,
• depressed respiratory immune defense,
• Skin irritation.

Serious trouble with prolonged exposure

It doesn’t just cause skin irritation and breathing problems; Prolong hazy conditions can lead to heart attacks, strokes, lungs and kidney problems. This applies especially to older people and those with kidney or diabetic problems, as well as heavy smokers with impaired breathing and chronic lung conditions. The airborne chemicals and particulate matter could penetrate deep into the lungs.  

How to protect yourself from the airborne hazard

 

The main pollutants in haze that have greater health impact are the fine particles that are 10 micron or smaller in size. Here are some tips to protect yourself from the hazardous haze:

1. Pay attention to local air quality updates

•     Malaysia - Department of Environment
•     Singapore - National Environment Agency
•     US - AirNow

2. Avoid outdoor activities

3. Close all doors & windows or any opening that allow haze to enter your space. Switch on air-conditioner.

4. Choose the right air purifier to lower the pollutants in your air.

5. Drink more water & increase intake of fresh vegetables and fruits.

6. Avoid driving if visibility is bad.

7. Wear a respirator (e.g: N95) which is able to filtrate polluted air from entering the nose and mouth.

Shield yourself and seek help if needed

Last but not least, take your medication regularly if you are suffering from an existing disease, especially respiratory disease and heart disease or some non-communicable disease which need long term treatment. If you feel any uncomfortable, seek medical attention immediately. Stay Safe everyone!

Three Unique Foods That Boosts Libido!

For certain, if you eat properly, strive daily to be in optimum health and shape, you might just perform your best.. in bed! But, by adding these 3 unique foods that I'll be telling you in a moment, you will get your heart pumping the blood faster and harder to all the right places and may be a second helping!

Unique Food #1

Scallops are packed with zinc. Zinc is needed for men’s and women’s fertility, potency, sex drive and long-term sexual health. The mineral is critical to sperm production. Low zinc stores have been blamed for decreases in semen volume and testosterone levels. So, rack up those zinc storage and do your best every night!

 Unique Food #2
 Almonds are full of zinc, selenium, and vitamin E, which are all trace minerals that aid in sexual health and the health of the reproductive system. Another point to store up those nuts during the cold seasons! Warm yourself up in the night for some racy actions!




 

 Unique Food #3
Cherries: Cherries are beyond the average “superfood.” They are packed with antioxidants and melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland in your brain which regulates the body’s sleep cycles. Excellent source of beta carotene and are rich in Vitamins C, E, potassium, magnesium, iron and our favorite folate. Because of their powerful anti-inflammatory benefits cherries are said to reduce pain and soreness following a workout or a romp in the sack.

SPF, The Higher The Better?

The discovery of Ultraviolet (UV) radiation was associated with the observation that silver salt darken when exposed to sunlight. Ultraviolet is originated from Latin word, meaning “beyond violet”.  There are two categories of UV light which commonly harm our skin when we are exposed under the sun – Ultraviolet Type A (UVA, wavelength 320-400 nm) and Ultraviolet Type B (UVB, 280-320nm). UVB ray only have the strength to penetrate the top layer of your skin, called the epidermis, causes sun burn. While UVA ray is more dangerous, it has the strength to penetrate the second layer of your skin (dermis) which can cause skin damaging slowly, thus lead to premature aging.

Sun Protection Factor (SPF), is a measure of how well a sunscreen, suntan lotion, or similar preparation protects the skin from ultraviolet rays. It was first introduced in 1962, to measure a sunscreen effect against UVB rays. SPF is determined by choosing a number of fair skinned volunteers and the time for the skin to turn red. The product tested is then applied and the time for the skin to turn red is again measured. The different in time is the SPF. The redness in skin is caused by UV-B radiation and not UV-A radiation therefore SPF does not measure UV-A protection.

SPF number starts at 2 and have reach 130. To figure out how long you can stay in the sun with a given

SPF, you may use this equation:

      è minutes to burn without sunscreen x SPF number = maximum sun exposure time

For example, if you burn after 10 minutes of sun exposure, an SPF 15 will allow you to be in the sun for up to 150 minutes without burning. It is largely accepted that the higher the value, the greater the level of protection from sun damage to the skin, but it is not scientifically proven beyond SPF 50 are actually more effective or not.  

The Best Vitamins for Acne

Many people who suffer from acne find out that the topical or oral solutions available to treat the condition are not always effective. They therefore struggle with trying to find a solution for the skin condition. However, if you are one of these people, you can solve the problem by using tested and proven vitamins for acne, which heal skin blemishes effectively.

Vitamins for acne work to directly provide a solution to the acne problem by treating the dietary deficiencies that may be the main cause of your acne problem. The acne care and natural skin treatment e-book published by best-for acne highlights the usefulness of vitamins when it comes to acne treatment. Various vitamins that work to treat acne include the following.

Vitamin A rich food

Vitamin A is the first type of vitamin that you can use in the treatment of acne. It is usually associated with the general health of the skin. Some oral medications used for acne treatment such as Isotretinoin, Accutane and retinoid topical treatments carry vitamins for acne such as vitamin A, because this vitamin is proven to be very effective in combating acne. Considering the value of nurturing your body with vitamins is very important and you should seek to eat foods that contain a lot of vitamin A. Such foods include fish oil supplements such as cod liver oil and orange, yellow, red or purple fruits and vegetables.

If you prefer to forgo prescription supplements that contain vitamins for acne, the most appropriate choice you have is to take a lot of healthy foods. You should take only the recommended amounts of vitamins as your body requires because excessive intake of vitamins like vitamin A is toxic. The foods that you can take to help you relieve the acne skin disorder include foods such as baked sweet potatoes, boiled spinach and raw carrots. You will notice a difference in your skin tones when you take these foods.

The other types of vitamins available are the stress relievers. Since stress is one of the main causes of acne, taking vitamins that are noted to relieve stress such as Riboflavin, Thiamine, Niacicin and others is a good way to deal with the acne problem. The Riboflavin vitamin also identified as vitamin B2, has the ability to work in coordination with vitamin A to make the nails, skin and hair become stronger. The food sources containing high quantities of vitamin B include bananas, oats, tuna, turkey, avocados and liver.

Vitamin C is also one of the best vitamins for acne available. This vitamin provides the body with a natural combating environment for acne causes like inflammation and bacteria. It contains antioxidants that effectively promote healthy skin. You can get adequate amounts of vitamin C by eating foods such as bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli and red berries.

The other vitamin considered as one of the best vitamins is vitamin E because it is a perfect skin repairing supplement. Vitamin E is very effective when it comes to attending to the skin's reparation process after getting rid of acne. Foods that contain this vitamin include green leafy vegetables, nuts, wheat grams and avocados.

Another example of the best vitamins for acne is zinc. It is a powerful antioxidant that is required for healthy skin tones. Zinc also contains the ability to speed up the acne healing process and preventing the appearance of subsequent scars. Foods rich in zinc include turkey, salmon and lobsters.

You can get information about everything you want to know that is related to vitamins for acne from the acne care and natural treatments e-book. You can download this e-book at www.getridof-acne.com which is the most comprehensive acne care website on the net.