Crave A Tiny Waist? — Start Munching On Blueberries

You can’t eat your cake and have it too, but when it comes to keeping your waist tiny and your figure trim science dictates — you can! Eat all you want and still keep flab away, sounds more like fiction and less likely fact, but research has proven that certain food groups can help us stay svelte even if our culinary choices defy diet and calorie myths. Lets follow the scientific breadcrumbs that ultimately lead us to tiny drupelets of blue or bilberries, and look closer how this transpires.

Blueberries are prime example of the fact that amazing things come in tiny packages. This itsy bitsy fruit is packed with huge health benefits, it provides us with tasty ways to stay healthy, young and according to the recent research — slim–n-trim. Low in fat, coming in at about 80 calories per cup and practically fat-free — blueberries are loaded with fiber to keep you feel fuller longer. Just a handful can satisfy your daily fiber requirement plus, these tiny powerhouse berries are an excellent way to trim belly fat. According to latest research, you can enjoy all different types of food you dread being on diet, guilt-free by adding blueberries to your diet. The beneficial health effects of blueberries are attributed to high levels of polyphenols, a disease-fighting chemical component.

Latest Research

Recently researchers at the University of the Basque Country, Spain have completed a study to assess the effects of pterostilbene in rats fed on obesogenic diet. Pterostilbene is a phenolic compound (the same family as resveratrol) that is found abundantly in blueberries. In this study pterostilbene was found to reduce the accumulation of body fat.  The study authors have concluded that: “Pterostilbene shows antiobesity properties due, at least in part, to reduced lipogenesis in adipose tissue and increased fatty acid oxidation in liver.” Thus in a nutshell, Blue Berries discourage fat storage and help burn fat.

More Proof In The Pudding

Bilberries are a special variety of blueberries found in North England and Nordic countries and they reportedly contain significantly higher percentage of polyphenols compared to commercially cultivated blueberries.

In another study, carried out by the University of Eastern Finland, mice were fed high-fat diet for a period of three months. Some of the mice were also fed either 5 per cent or 10 per cent of freeze-dried bilberries in the diet.

The researchers assessed the effects of the diets by looking at levels of inflammation in cells. Obese people have higher levels of inflammation, and even low levels are often associated with obesity-related diseases. They measured inflammation levels by looking at cytokines, substances produced from white blood cells, which trigger the body’s immune response. High levels are a marker of inflammation. The researchers also measured levels of glucose in the blood, as high levels can lead to diabetes, and insulin sensitivity (whether the body is sensitive to the hormone, which breaks down sugar).

Lastly, they measured blood pressure and weight gain.

During the study as expected, the mice on the high-fat diet gained significant amounts of weight. Researchers noted detrimental changes in their glucose, fat metabolism, blood pressure and inflammation levels.

Watching the group of mice fed on bilberries along with high fat diet, researchers found very little inflammatory effects of the high-fat diet. Bilberries also prevented the raised blood pressure caused by the fatty foods. The researchers explained that this is probably due to high levels of the disease fighting chemicals polyphenols present in blueberries; specifically because of polyphenols called anthocyanins — which give bilberries and blueberries their blue color.

More Evidence

A previous study presented at the American Society for Nutrition’s Experimental Biology meeting in 2011, advised weight watchers should start snacking on blueberries and other foods with high levels of polyphenols (cranberries, grapes, potatoes, pop corn) as these fruits slash the number of fat cells in the body by up to three-quarters.

During their research scientists have found that polyphenols can cut the number of fat cells in the body by 73 per cent with large doses and 27 per cent with smallest dose.

There is significant body of evidence supporting polyphenols as a key substance that can change the way body processes and stores fat. The golden rule prevails “Eat healthy to stay healthy and fit”, but the blue and bilberries offer a unique failsafe against weight gain even if we succumb to naughty over indulgent food urges.

The Feral Return Of The High Browed Beauty

From runways to silver screen bushy brows are shaping up to be 2014’s biggest beauty trend. The glorified brow du jour is a far cry from 80s untouched and unruly wilderness, as it welcomes you to the shapely yet bold zip code of “Cara’s-power-brows” — This groomed yet lush foliage that frames the upper visage is a beauty asset to reckon and the “browsperts” across the beauti-verse have been ballyhooing about it incessantly. Unmade eyebrows tend to hide the perfect features of a beautiful face, while on the other hand rightly groomed eyebrows help accentuate the desired appeal on the face.

Finding Your North Star — Geometry To The Rescue

Brows are important features of expressions they help us share our emotions. Shaped well, they have the power to change the overall appearance of our face, lending balance and symmetry. Important thing to remember while shaping your brows is keeping your face shape in mind. Depending on the facial structure, some prefer to keep their eyebrows thick and close to natural, while some prefer to arch and shape these face-framing features. Here’s a simple guide

Square Shaped Face — Think Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Connelly — Brows which are thick near the center of face and tapering slightly at the tail end with a pronounced arch frame a square face effortlessly.

Heart Shaped Face — Think Cara Delevingne and Arizona Muse — Bold, bushy and lush brows with a slight angle at 2/3 to 1/3 junction are perfect frames for a heart shape face.

Round Shaped Face — Think Lily Collins and Miranda Kerr — Ample, thickset and straight brows with a slim tapering three quarters of the way add a soft point to a round face. Don’t over arch!

Oval Shaped Face — Think Jacquelyn Jablonski and Agyness Deyn — Feral and slanting brows can add come hither charm by framing an oval face in an attractive manner.

Raise Your Sex Appeal & Some Brows By Letting Yours Sprout:

If your brows are sparse and stunted genetically and even if you avoid tweezers and wax for months, the regrowth is minimal don’t be saddened, as there is still hope for you.

Straight From the Kitchen: An old Indian remedy to grow lush brows is to add a little turmeric or rosemary oil to some castor oil and rub it on to brows at night to encourage healing and growth.

Lattisse is a prescription drug for growing eyelashes, not brows, but guess what it works on brows as well as it works on lashes. Applying one drop per brow for 3-4 weeks and you’d see baby hair sprout and fill up your scant brows.

AminoGenesis LashGenesis is a unique peptide and amino acid based formula that promotes growth of hair roots as it conditions hair shaft, preventing breakage leading to thicker and longer lashes and brows. Applying it once at night for 3-4 weeks and you’d see your brows and lashes grow decadently luscious.

Latisse and AminoGenesis do deliver great results, but the catch 22 here is once you stop using them the hair cycle goes back to pre-usage pace. So if you want to keep your new, thicker brows, you’d have to keep using the products at least periodically.

The two-week falsies were originally created for women who had lost their brows through chemotherapy or alopecia areata. “Faceframe 3D Eyebrows” is a great brand, which employs individual strands of synthetic mink glued the upper and lower eyelid skin. These falsies also work for anyone with sparse brows or bare patches, once glued on they lasts up to a fortnight.

Brow Implants is a 2-3 hour minor surgical procedure performed by hair transplant surgeons, where some hair from just above the ear area is taken and transplanted to the eyebrow region. Unlike tattooing, dying, or other attempts to enhance the brow, eyebrow restoration uses follicular unit transplantation to create a truly natural look—because it uses your own natural hair. If your eyebrows are very sparse and lacking hair it is something to consider.

Big is beautiful and everyone is a believer, but the trick to flaunt dominant upper facial hair and not get crashed and burned is — keeping it real. 

Anatomy Of An Aging Face

Looking at gorgeous Sophia Loren’s pictures through the last few decades, we get a sense of time travel with a front row seat witnessing a beautiful youthful face change with age. Facial aging is a fascinatingly intricate process, but our vision mostly is limited to what’s happening on the surface of the skin. Taking a closer anatomical look, scientists have discovered that a lot of major changes are happening underneath the skin too. To better understand how a visage plumped with youth, transforms into a creased and sagged poster child of age lets indulge in anatomy 101 to see closely what’s really happening underneath the skin with the passage of time.

Facial aging process begins second decade of life, with surface and subsurface structural changes in multiple tissue layers —including skin, fat, muscle and bone. All layers age interdependently, contributing to the overall facial appearance that keeps on changing with age.

Journey Of Our Skin Through Time: As we age our skin goes through several changes —on the surface the skin becomes more rough and pigmented as the epidermal renewal cycle become less efficient. Past second decade of life, skin collagen remodeling and replenishing processes begin to slow down, with progressive loss in collagen skin becomes thinner and hence more likely to wrinkle & sag. As the skin becomes progressively drier, thinner and

less elastic with age along with daily wear and tear going unchecked skin begins to wrinkle, sag and look lusterless.

Fat & Bone Changes With Aging: A youthful plump face has the right amount of facial fat in all the right places. Redistribution, accumulation, and atrophy of fat with age, leads to facial shape changes and sagging. Some areas lose fat e.g. the forehead, temples and upper cheeks. Other areas gain fat e.g. neck, lower face and jaw. Modification of the fat pads leads to contour deficiencies. In addition, the areas of fat tend to become farther apart. Instead of a smooth, almost continuous layer, the fat pads appear as separate structures.

There is a significant loss of facial bone volume with age. Aging of the craniofacial skeleton may be due to changes in the relative dynamics of bone expansion and bone resorption. Bone resorption leads to biometric volume loss. Without the structural support of bone, there are noticeable changes in the other layers of overlying soft tissue and skin.

Age Proofing The Visage — Modern Medicine To The Rescue

Facial rejuvenation treatments can be classified in three categories:

Resurfacing Options —Skin peeling techniques can be used to modify the surface of the skin. Peeling the suface can correct the effects of photoaging, which includes correction of fine lines, irregular pigmentation and blemishes. Common skin resurfacing techniques include:

• Chemical peels
• Micro-dermabrasion
• Laser resurfacing

Injectables —Injectables include a broad range of substances, which can be administered by injection into the skin, fat or muscles. Their main usage is for the treatment of lines, wrinkles and folds, as well as hollowing and volume loss. Three of the most common types include:

• Neurotoxins
• Traditional fillers
• Collagen stimulators

Surgery —Surgery includes a wide range of procedures from lifts to liposuction to fat transfer. These treatments can address a range of desired outcomes. Three of the most popular surgeries are:

• Liposuction
• Facelift
• Fat transfer