Tanning bed trauma

Just in case you’re tempted to jump-start your summer tan with a quick trip to the solarium, skip it for the sake of your skin! Along with upping your skin cancer risk, new research has shown that indoor tanning accelerates ageing in your skin, big time.

The study conducted at the Institute for Environmental Health Research at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf Germany found that in young adults who used tanning beds regularly for three months—but had never done so before—had a 2.6 to 3.6 fold increase in ageing-related mutations (changes) in their skin.

In skin cells, the mutation leads to oxidative stress—think free radicals—along with reduced collaged production, and increased collagen breakdown. So in the long run what you end up with are more wrinkles, skin damage, and accelerated ageing.

In this study, 41 other volunteers with a history of sun-bed use also showed high levels of these mutations in their skin. Interestingly the study showed that the greatest damage occurred in the youngest users.

Now, on top of all the skin damage, there’s the increased risk of the dangerous form of skin cancer called melanoma. In fact, research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reported 158% higher rates of melanoma in women who had used tanning beds once a month in their 20s, compared with those who hadn’t.

So for a sun-kissed glow, skip the solarium and go for a spray tan like SunFX, or a great self-tanning cream instead.

Source: Journal of the National Cancer Institute

Sleeping longer for good health

Here’s another seriously good reason to get sufficient sleep: along with a great diet and a healthy balanced lifestyle, sleep seems to be one key to help prevent breast cancer. In a study of 33,528 Chinese woman, those who reported sleeping at least nine hours per night had 42 percent higher levels of the hormone melatonin, and these women were 19 percent less likely to get breast cancer in the next 11 years compared with those who reported six or fewer hours of sleep per night!

The link was strongest for long sleepers who were lean and postmenopausal. They had a whopping 118 percent more melatonin and 53 percent lower breast cancer risk than brief sleepers overall.

Longer sleep boosts levels of the powerful hormone melatonin, which interferes with oestrogen receptors and inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells. So don’t put sleep on the back-burner! Make it a priority to get a great night’s sleep every night, and not just on weekends.

In the dark

While we’re on the subject of sleep and breast cancer, here’s another fascinating study, this time out of Israel. It found that a lack of darkness at night may increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer.

Researchers used NASA satellite maps to determine how much light was emitted into space from different neighbourhoods across Israel at night, which they believed should approximate how bright those neighbourhoods are. They then overlaid this map with breast and lung cancer statistics for the same neighbourhoods.

As predicted, the researchers found no connection between light levels and lung cancer, but they found that women living in neighbourhoods with "average" lighting had breast cancer levels 37 percent higher than those living in neighbourhoods with low night light levels.

Women in areas with the most night-time lighting had breast cancer rates 64 percent higher than women in areas with the least light!

Supporting this theory is the fact that blind women, who can’t sense light and who have higher than average melatonin levels, have lower breast cancer rates than other women.

And earlier research has found higher breast cancer levels among rats kept in lighted cages at all times, and also in people who work night shifts. This research has led the World Health Organization to classify night shift work as a "probable carcinogen.”

Scientists believe that the carcinogenic effect of night shift work is due to the fact that light prevents your body from producing the tumour-suppressing hormone melatonin, which is normally produced at night. Light in the blue spectrum, like those emitted by fluorescent bulbs, is particularly damaging to your body's ability to make melatonin. Same goes for bright screens like your computer before bed.

So switch off your computer an hour before bed, and if you don’t have block out curtains or blinds, try sleeping with a silky, soft eye mask to block out any light that may trickle into your bedroom.

Here’s another tip: try and switch off your mobile phone an hour before bed. A number of studies have found the prolonged mobile phone use before bedtime impairs sleep quality. The research found that it takes longer to reach deep sleep and also results in shorter bouts of deep sleep. Now, it’s the deep sleep that you need to recharge energy reserves and also for cell turnover and repair—this incudes your skin cells!

Flaxseed & borage oil boosts beauty from within

Flaxseed oil contains all of the important essential fatty acids for great skin and good health. And now there’s even more reason to include plenty of flaxseed oil in your diet. New research from Germany and France has found that flaxseed and borage oil helps protect skin against reddening and inflammation, as well as improving skin health from within.

In the study, flaxseed oil (which contains alpha-linolenic acid – an omega-3 fatty acid) was the most successful in reducing skin reddening and blood flow, while significantly increasing skin hydration. Borage oil showed similar results, but not as significant as flaxseed oil. And in the placebo group (they received a medium-chain fatty acid as the placebo), apart for a slight improvement in hydration, there wasn’t any change in skin condition.

Source: Heinrich U., et al, “Intervention with flaxseed and borage oil supplements modulates skin condition in women,” British Journal of Nutrition.

Flaxseed oil takes a bit of getting used to, and it’s certainly not everyone’s favourite! So if you don’t like the way it tastes, disguise it in a smoothie or use it in salad dressings, adding some lemon juice, fresh herbs and balsamic vinegar to mask its taste.

Flaxseed oil dressing

• 2/3 cup flaxseed oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed
• Fresh herbs (such as basil, dill, Italian parsley)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously. Store in the fridge.