skin inflammation Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Avocado Pit Extract Could Ease Inflamed, Sun-Damaged Skin

AHA Publisher — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 07:00:32 +0000

Abigail Klein Leichman via Israel21c – It’s long been known that an avocado facial mask softens, hydrates and nourishes the skin and even helps heal blemishes and inflammation. But what about the part that usually gets tossed in the trashcan – the pit? Israeli startup AvoMed spent a decade researching and testing PFA (polyhydroxylated fatty alcohol), a bioactive compound extracted from avocado pits, as the basis for skin-care products to treat sun damage and inflammation. The company has patented an ecofriendly process to extract PFA from pits sourced from factories that produce guacamole, frozen avocado and avocado oil. Normally, the pits are an expensive nuisance for these factories because the pits pollute soil as they decompose and therefore require a special pretreatment. AvoMed’s line of PFA-based cosmetics for women and men are being developed with support from the Israeli Innovation Authority and based on studies at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Weizmann Institute of Science and Hadassah University Medical Center as well as Skin Axis Labs in the United States. According to the company, the natural cosmetics market was valued at $6.6 billion in 2021. Led by Chairman Oded Bashan and CEO Shai Bensaid, AvoMed has four registered and approved patents in Israel and the United States; four additional patent applications in the European Union, the United States and China are in various approval stages. The next step for this startup from Rosh Pina is raising funds through the Pipelbiz platform to scale up toward industrial production. To read the original article click here.

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Switching to a Balanced Diet Restores Gut Health and Suppresses Skin Inflammation

AHA Publisher — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 07:00:28 +0000

University of California – Davis Health via News-Medical – The secret to healthier skin and joints may reside in gut microorganisms. A study led by UC Davis Health researchers has found that a diet rich in sugar and fat leads to an imbalance in the gut’s microbial culture and may contribute to inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis. The study, published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, suggests that switching to a more balanced diet restores the gut’s health and suppresses skin inflammation. “Earlier studies have shown that Western diet, characterized by its high sugar and fat content, can lead to significant skin inflammation and psoriasis flares. Despite having powerful anti-inflammatory drugs for the skin condition, our study indicates that simple changes in diet may also have significant effects on psoriasis.” Sam T. Hwang, professor and chair of dermatology at UC Davis Health and senior author on the study What Is Psoriasis? Psoriasis is a stubborn skin condition linked to the body’s immune system. When immune cells mistakenly attack healthy skin cells, they cause skin inflammation and the formation of scales and itchy red patches. Up to 30% of patients with psoriasis also have psoriatic arthritis with symptoms such as morning stiffness and fatigue, swollen fingers and toes, pain in joints and changes to nails. Diet Affects the Microbial Balance in the Intestines and Skin Inflammation Food is one of the major modifiable factors regulating the gut microbiota, the community of microorganisms living in the intestines. Eating a Western diet can cause rapid change to the gut’s microbial community and its functions. This disruption in microbial balance – known as dysbiosis- contributes to gut inflammation. Since bacteria in the gut may play key roles in shaping inflammation, the researchers wanted to test whether intestinal dysbiosis affects skin and joint inflammation. They used a mouse model to study the effect of diet on psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. They injected mice with Interleukin-23 (IL-23) minicircle DNA to induce a response mimicking psoriasis-like skin and joint diseases. IL-23 is a protein generated by the immune cells responsible for many inflammatory autoimmune reactions, including psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Hwang and his colleagues found that a short-term Western diet appears sufficient to cause microbial imbalance and to enhance susceptibility to IL-23?mediated psoriasis-like skin inflammation. “There is a clear link between skin inflammation and changes in the gut microbiome due to food intake,” Hwang said. “The bacterial balance in the gut disrupted shortly after starting a Western diet, and worsened psoriatic skin and joint inflammation.” One critical finding of their work was identifying the intestinal microbiota as a pathogenic link between diet and the displays of psoriatic inflammation. The study also found that antibiotics block the effects of the Western diet, reducing skin and joint inflammation. Is the Damage Caused by an Unhealthy Diet Reversible? The researchers wanted to test if switching to a balanced diet can restore the gut microbiota, despite the presence of IL-23 inflammatory proteins. They fed mice a Western diet for six weeks before giving them an IL-23-inducing agent to trigger psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis features. Then, they randomly divided the mice into two groups: a group that continued the Western diet for another four weeks and a group that switched to a balanced diet for the same duration. Their study showed that eating a diet high in sugar and fat for 10 weeks predisposed mice to skin and joint inflammation. Mice that were switched to a balanced diet had less scaling of the skin and reduced ear thickness than mice on a Western diet. The improvement in skin inflammation for mice taken off the Western diet indicates a short-term impact of the Western diet on skin inflammation. This suggests that changes in diet could partially reverse the proinflammatory effects and alteration of gut microbiota caused by the Western diet. “It was quite surprising that a simple diet modification of less sugar and fat may have significant effects on psoriasis,” said Zhenrui Shi, visiting assistant researcher in the UC Davis Department of Dermatology and lead author on the study. “These findings reveal that patients with psoriatic skin and joint disease should consider changing to a healthier dietary pattern.” “This work reflects a successful collaboration among researchers, especially with Professor Satya Dandekar and her team at the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology and Professor Yu-Jui Yvonne Wan at the Department of Medical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine,” Hwang said. To read the original article click here.

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7 Superfoods to Help You Prevent Sunburn

AHA Publisher — Thu, 27 May 2021 07:00:47 +0000

Dr. Don Colbert – Slathering your body with a goopy white chemical concoction may not be the only way to protect your skin from the damaging effects of a sunburn. It turns out that what you eat can have a dramatic effect on your tendency to burn. God didn’t make mistakes when creating human beings. We are not meant to be as vulnerable to the sun as we currently think we are. In fact, the sun is a life giving force that supplies the body with essential nutrients such as vitamin D. But if this true, how did we get to be so afraid of the sun? Catalyst vs. Cause Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers in the United States. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime. It is estimated that between 40 to 50 percent of Americans who live to age 65 will develop a carcinogenic skin tumor. That is scary! Skin cancer is a serious issue that is certainly associated with overexposure to the sun in many cases. However, people also often develop skin cancers in areas rarely – if ever – exposed to the sun, such as the armpit or the groin. This means that sunburn is not the root cause of skin cancer, but instead more like a catalyst for its formation. It is true that a life of excessive sun exposure and sun damage will likely make your body more susceptible to skin cancer, but this is much more likely if your body is already in a weakened and vulnerable state due to poor diet and lifestyle choices. In other words, the sun isn’t the cause of skin cancer, but a toxic and inflamed body is. Sunburn = Skin Inflammation The redness, burning sensation, and eventual blistering associated with a severe sunburn are part of the body’s natural inflammatory response to excessive ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure. Sunburn is basically the body’s warning sign that it has reached its limit of UV exposure. What’s interesting however, is that a healthy body – regardless of skin pigmentation – can handle much more UV radiation before triggering the inflammatory response that leads to sunburn. The Science A study conducted by German researchers found that foods high in antioxidant compounds dramatically affect how the skin reacts to sun exposure. The researchers gave half the participants of the study antioxidant-rich tomatoes and olive oil. The other half of participants ate the same diet except without the tomatoes and olive oil. At the conclusion of the 10 week study, the participants who consumed the tomatoes (1/4 cup daily) and the olive oil (2 tsp daily), experienced a whopping 35% less reddening than the control group! That’s a significant result. This is likely due to the anti-inflammatory and free-radical scavenging effect of the antioxidants found in tomatoes and olive oil. 7 Superfoods to Prevent Sunburn Now that we know how food can affect the skin’s ability to handle sun exposure, here are 7 powerful superfoods to protect your skin from the inside-out: Green Tea – Green tea is rich in antioxidants called catechins that are protective against UV damage Spirulina & Chlorella – Both of these nutritious species of edible algae contain a powerful carotenoid called Astaxanthin. This antioxidant is about 550 times stronger than Vitamin E, making it a great defense against UV damage to the skin and eyes Broccoli – Broccoli is loaded with an antioxidant called sulforaphane which provides powerful protection against UV radiation Pomegranate – Pomegranate is famous for it’s various antioxidant polyphenol compounds that can help protect the skin from oxidative damage. Blueberries – These delicious little berries are antioxidant powerhouses and help move the lymph allowing the body to detox and repair more readily Acerola Cherry – This superfood is loaded with vitamin C and phycocyanins which are considered to be the plants naturally occurring sunscreen. Krill Oil – The omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA found in fish and krill oil are essential to a healthy inflammatory response in the body. They also allow the cells of the body to more easily harvest the electrons from the sun leading to less tendency for sunburn Eat With the Seasons Do you notice a pattern in these foods? Most are foods that are at peak ripeness during the warmer months, or typically grow in tropical equatorial areas that receive massive amounts on sun exposure. Is this coincidence? Or God’s infinite intelligence at work? We have been provided the foods we need to thrive in the environment which we inhabit. Go to your local farmer’s market and try to find fresh antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables to naturally protect your skin from the sun. You can also get you antioxidants from the high quality fruit and vegetable extracts in Divine Health’s premium nutritional supplements. The antioxidant rich greens mentioned above can be found in Dr. Colbert’s Fermented Green Supremefood formula. For the benefits of the polyphenols in fruits and berries, try Dr Colbert’s Organic Red Supremefood. If you don’t want to eat a bunch of sardines everyday, you can try Dr. Colbert’s Living Krill Oil. References https://elissagoodman.com/healthy-tips/eat-to-avoid-sunburn/ https://www.sunislife.com/healthy-eating-prevents-sunburn/ http://www.thrive-style.com/2014/03/8-foods-prevent-sunburn/ http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/ask-the-experts/is-sun-exposure-the-only-cause-of-skin-cancer To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Colbert click here.

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Western Diet Rich in Fat and Sugar Linked to Skin Inflammation

AHA Publisher — Sun, 23 Feb 2020 08:00:23 +0000

UC Davis Health via Newswise – A Western diet rich in fat and sugar may lead to inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis, a study by UC Davis Health researchers has found. Newswise — (SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — A Western diet rich in fat and sugar may lead to inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis, a study by UC Davis Health researchers has found. The study, published today in Journal of Investigative Dermatology, suggests that dietary components, rather than obesity itself, may lead to skin inflammation and the development of psoriasis. A common and chronic skin disease, psoriasis causes skin cells to form scales and red patches that are itchy and sometimes painful. Diet and Skin Inflammation Previous studies have shown that obesity is a risk factor for the development or worsening of psoriasis. The Western diet, characterized by a high dietary intake of saturated fats and sucrose and low intake of fiber, has been linked to the increased prevalence of obesity in the world. “In our study, we found that short-term exposure to Western diet is able to induce psoriasis before significant body weight gain,” said Sam T. Hwang, professor and chair of dermatology at UC Davis and senior author on the study. For the UC Davis Health study, which used a mouse model, Hwang and his colleagues found that a diet containing both high fat and high sugar (mimicking the Western diet in human) was required to induce observable skin inflammation. In four weeks only, mice on Western diet had significantly increased ear swelling and visible dermatitis compared to mice fed a controlled diet and those on high fat diet alone. “Eating an unhealthy diet does not affect your waistline alone, but your skin immunity too,” said Zhenrui Shi, visiting assistant researcher in UC Davis Department of Dermatology and lead author on the study. Bile Acids and Skin Inflammation The study detailed the mechanisms by which inflammation happens following a Western diet. It identified bile acids as key signaling molecules in the regulation of skin immunity. Bile acids are produced in the liver from cholesterol and metabolized in the intestine by the gut microbiota. They play an important role in dietary lipid absorption and cholesterol balance in the blood. The study found that cholestyramine, a drug used to lower cholesterol levels by binding to bile acids in the intestine, helped reduce the risk of skin inflammation. The finding suggests that bile acids mediate the development of psoriasis. The binding of cholestyramine to bile acids in the gut and its subsequent release through the stool allows for lowering of skin inflammation. Further studies are needed to understand the mechanism behind diet-induced skin inflammation and the interaction between metabolism, microbes and immunity. This study was supported by a National Psoriasis Foundation Discovery Grant, an NIH/NIAMS R01 grant (1R01AR063091-01A1) and an NCI/NIH grant (U01-CA179582-03A1). Other collaborators include Xuesong Wu, Mindy Huynh and Mimi Nguyen from Department of Dermatology at UC Davis, Prasant Jena and Yui-Jui Yvonne Wan from Medical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UC Davis and Sebastian Yu from Department of Dermatology at Kaohsiung Medical University. To read the original article click here.

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