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Daily intake of orange juice could lead to the onset of type two diabetes in women, a new study published in the journal Diabetes Care revealed.

While drinking orange juice is deemed healthy since it contains a high percentage of vitamin C, the absence of any fibre in it could raise the body blood sugar which increases the risk of contracting diabetes by more than 18 percent.

Researchers from the Harvard Medical School in United States studied the eating habits of more than 70,000 female nurses over a period of 18 years. The researchers found that drinking just one glass of orange juice increased the risk of diabetes by more than 18 percent while eating three servings of the whole fruit reduced the risk by 24 percent.

One of the reasons given for the increased risk of diabetes in women drinking orange juice is the absence of fibre and is hence absorbed very quickly by the stomach while eating the orange fruit contains fibre which slows down its absorption. Packaged orange juices also have a high amount of sugar in them which increases blood sugar in the body.

However the study also found eating oranges could reduce the risk of diabetes by 18%. This indicates the natural sugars added in the juice may be the culprit in increasing the risk of diabetes.

Ageing is an inevitable part of growing older. However, certain factors can minimise the appearance of blotchy skin, age spots, and wrinkles. Limit the amount of alcohol you consume, quit smoking, avoid crash diets, increase intake of dietary antioxidants (whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables) & vitamin C and reduce saturated fats in diet. Manage your stress, get regular exercise, avoid harsh skin products, get enough rest, use sunscreen, avoid harsh winds and drink plenty of water.

Before you turn to branded beauty kits and sundry suntan lotions to keep looking good in summer, try heading for the kitchen.

Rose water, lemon juice, cucumber and yoghurt are among the many magic potions tucked away in your own home.

"For a natural sunscreen, one can sprinkle cooled water - in which tea leaves have been boiled - on the face," aromatherapist and well-known beautician Blossom Kochhar said.

Kochhar, who says the sunscreen is an absolute must before stepping out, lays down a simple rule - it should be worn above moisturizer and below makeup.

"Regardless of your skin type, sunscreens should be worn only after moisturising and below make-up."

For those who plan to take a dip in the swimming pool, Kochhar recommends rubbing a layer of Vaseline in which a few drops of essential oil of lavender have been added to protect the skin from chlorine.

While people usually ensure protection of the skin, they often ignore the hair and lips.

"Ignoring the hair and lips results in the hair becoming brittle and lustreless and the lips turning dry and chapped. It's a good idea to apply a sunscreen sparingly, probably mixed with water, over the lips before stepping out into the sun," beauty expert Shahnaz Husain said.

"At the end of the day, after washing one's face, one should rub the lips with a soft towel so as to remove the dead cells. Applying a few drops of pure almond oil over them and leaving it overnight will make them soft and even lighten dark lips over a period of time," she added.

While cleansing becomes doubly important in summer, both Kochhar and Husain say that overdoing it can actually harm the skin. And after cleansing, using a natural skin toner like rose water can do wonders for one's skin.

To protect the hair, says Husain, one should cover the head while stepping out and wash it often to avoid dust and grime accumulation.

"One can also remove a tan using a whole lot of homemade remedies. For the face, one can mix equal quantities of lemon juice and cucumber juice, apply it on the face and leave it for 20 minutes before washing it off with cold water."

"Alternatively, one can mix a pinch of turmeric to yoghurt and apply it on their face, neck and arms regularly for 30 minutes or put cucumber pulp with yoghurt and then wash it off to remove a tan," Husain says.

To remove a tan from the hands she suggests applying a paste of sunflower oil, lemon juice and sugar, while soaking one's feet in water containing lemon juice cleans, de-tans and perks up the feet.

Besides externally taking care of one's skin and hair, experts also stress that one should be careful about the diet during the sultry months.

Dietician Ruchika Verma says that it's best to avoid hot, spicy and salty food in summer.

"Besides hot, spicy and salty food, one should also go easy on the tea and coffee intake, even alcohol. Gorge instead on fresh fruits, vegetables, salads and yoghurt," Verma says.

Husain adds: "For an extra cooling effect, one can add mint to the lemonade. It's very refreshing."

Of course, it goes without saying that summer is the time to have loads of water to stay cool and keep glowing!

source:zeenews.com

Bips has strong views, knows her plus points and is quite clear where she wants to be. In the time we spent on an outdoor shoot in Bangkok, I couldn’t help but notice Bipasha Basu’s change in attitude. Having known her from her modelling days in 1997, where she was laidback about fitness, it’s great to see she actually had a personal trainer accompany her on an outdoor of 25 days! This sudden change happened as late as 2004, and I strongly suspect her super-fit boyfriend must have something to do with it. She has no vices like drinking or smoking.

Obsessed with the Suryanamaskar (she does a 108 of these a day!), the exotic face and voluptuous body of the ‘90s has given way to a more sculpted face and a fit body to die for. A trim exterior is backed by a strong core (thanks to some disciplined yoga with BharatThakur’s team). She spends two hours, six days a week in the gym.


For someone who used to dread dance sequences, she’s become the Bidi Jalailay girl, who also happens to be the only nonsporting person to endorse Reebok! She trains in the morning. Her routine is Day 1 — upper body,Day 2 — abdomen workout, Day 3 — legs and lower body, Day 4 — gluteus maximus, Day 5 — upper body, Day 6 — abdomen and gluteus maximus, accompanied by 108 Suryanamaskars daily with 50 minutes of cardio, and a 10-minute warm-up, which includes stretching, and holding dance postures with emphasis on breathing. Weekly four times, the 50 minutes of cardio is split up into 20 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the elliptical machine and 20 minutes on the rowing machine, twice a week.


She also does a spinning class a week. She believes in weak-point training, works especially hard on her triceps and does the Bhujangasana really well. A victim of an injured left knee, she does physio for it. Being flat-footed, she grips paper with her feet to overcome the problem. Post a trip to Rio, she started working on the gluteus maximus, as a ‘good butt’ is a sign of a great body! She is a strong believer in circuit training, which keeps the heart rate up. To break monotony, she adopts a new routine every four months. She uses yoga to strengthen her lower back, core muscles and redevelop her left knee muscles.

Equipped with little knowledge three-and-a-half years ago (which included running with bad shoes), she caught on by reading and with help from her trainer Paul. She doesn’t train when very tired and averages six-and-a-half hours of sleep.


Bipasha’s diet starts with tea, almonds soaked overnight and warm water. At 9 am, she has six egg whites, mushroom and toast with porridge, skimmed milk and fruits. At 11 am, one apple. Lunch sharp at 1 pm consisting of green vegetables, dal, grilled chicken or fish, green salad, two soya chapattis and strictly no rice except her birthday, which is quite an achievement for a Bengali! She has tea at 5 pm with digestive biscuits. Dinner is at 9 pm with dal, salad, three vegetables cooked in olive oil, grilled fish or chicken with a miniscule portion of dessert.
Sounds exotic? Well, that she is, dark and Indian in essence, and now very fit!

More damage can be done to the hair during a two-week holiday in the sun than the damage accrued during the rest of the year. The ultraviolet rays, or radiation, (UVRs) from sunlight that can cause damage to the skin can also have an adverse effect on the hair, depleting the natural oils and removing moisture. Strong winds whip unprotected hair into a tangle, causing breakage and split ends. Chlorinated and salt water cause colour fading and result in drooping perms. Wear a hat or a scarf on the beach, or use a sun protective spray to shield the hair from the sun’s harmful rays.

After a swim, rinse the salt or chlorinated water thoroughly from the hair using plenty of fresh, clean water. Sunscreen gels are available for the hair and these offer a good deal of protection. On windy or blustery days, keep long hair tied back to prevent tangles. Long hair can also be braided when it is wet and the braid left in all day. When evening comes and you undo the braids you will have a cascade of rippling.


Before you leave

Any hair colouring you are planning should be done at least one week prior to your holiday. This will allow the color to "soften"and allow time for some intensive conditioning on any dry ends. If you want to have a perm before your holiday, book the appointment at least three week before departure to allow your hair to settle. Remember to pack all your holiday hair needs — your favorite shampoos, conditioners and styling products. And pack a selection of scarves and hair accessories. Soft, bendy rollers are a good alternative to heated ones —they are also kinder to the hair. Have a trim before you go, but not a new style, as you won’t want to worry about coping with a new look. The sun’s rays are intensified by reflection from the snow, so hair needs extra protection in the form of a hair sunscreen. Wind, blasts of snow, and sunshine are a damaging combination for hair, so wear a hat whenever possible. In freezing temperatures, hair picks up static electricity, making it flyaway and unmanageable. Calm the hair static by spraying your brush with hairspray before brushing your hair. With sudden temperature changes — from icy cold slopes to a warm hotel — and constantly changing headgear, your hair may need daily shampooing. Use a mild shampoo and light conditioner.

— The writer is a hair expert and runs Peaches Salon and Spa in Bengaluru

Miss Universe 2007 Riyo Mori of Japan crowns Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela Miss Universe at the Miss Universe pageant.

Detox! That's the latest health fad the city junta is swearing by. Juice fasts, water-only diets, saltfree diets coupled with body massages, mud packs, steam baths, saunas and yoga are the rage these days. But, are these procedures safe, or for that matter even necessary?
"The human body has a built in detoxifier called the liver. The very function of the liver is to break down toxic substances, so that they get excreted. So, why do people need to go for a detox diet?" asks Dr M V Rao of Yashoda Hospitals. But Dr N R Nirmala Jyothi, a naturopathy and yogic science expert, prefers to differ, "Just as vehicles need regular overhaul to keep them in good condition, even human bodies need to go through a cleansing process on a regular basis. Diseases are caused by build up of toxins and 90 per cent of the cases that come to us are patients who have tried all sorts of medication and come to naturopathy as a final resort."

The common grouse about detox treatments is that they border on the extreme. Especially techniques like vamanakriya where the patient is made to drink large amounts of salt water in order to vomit, given enemas or made to go on rigorous fasts. "No treatment is prescribed without a thorough study of the patient. Most treatments have contraindications. For example vamanakriya is contraindicated in pregnant women, heart patients and hypertensive people. A qualified doctor studies the patients and prescribes the diet or treatment that he or she can withstand. It is not like the patients come and pick up a treatment of their choice!" rebuts Dr Jyothi.

But then it is difficult to stop people from picking up tips from those who have gone to some exotic detox spa. Even simple fads like drinking too much water to flush out toxins can have a fatal effect because along with the toxins vital salts are flushed out. "I get at least one patient in a week, mostly elderly, suffering from hyponatremia (low sodium in the body) because of the new fad where people are told to drink as much water as possible. People with sedentary lifestyles need to drink about 1.5 to 2 litres per day, but those who are into rigorous activity need more. The rule of thumb is to listen to your body. Drink water when you are thirsty, that suffices," says Dr Rao as he lists out the symptoms of hyponatremia that includes confusion, followed by drowsiness, fits, coma and even death.

Another disturbing trend in the city is the growing cases of obesity and Type II diabetes – from school children to adults. Both Dr Rao and Dr Jyothi confirm the trend and people’s inability to stick to healthy balanced diets.


"Instead of gorging on pizzas and fried food laden with transfatty acids that put a great load on the liver, why don't we go for a non-toxic regular balanced diet with the right amount of carbs, proteins and fresh vegetables and fruit?" questions Dr Rao bringing to the fore the ancient adage that prevention is better than cure. At the other end of the spectrum are young girls, who in a bid to lose weight, eat raw vegetables and fruits alone that they do not get the required protein for muscle growth at a stage when they need it the most, says Dr Rao.

Most detox diets have their roots in Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science. Dr Jyothi tells us about the various diets and treatments for chronic gout, arthritis, asthma, kidney stones and other ailments that get cured with Ayurveda without the drastic side-effects associated with allopathy. Dr Rao too agrees that Ayurveda is an ancient science, but voices the need for conducting research and randomised studies to prove the efficacy of the medication that people swear by. Well this will take quite some time, meanwhile some treatments need to be taken with a pinch of salt!

I get at least one patient in a week, mostly elderly, suffering from hyponatremia (low sodium in the body) because of the new fad where people are told to drink as much water as possible.
Dr M V Rao
Toxic foods to avoid are all fried foods and fast foods.
The rule of thumb is to drink when you are thirsty.

source:timesofindia.com

W ant to protect your eyes from those crow’s feet? Then go out and buy good quality eye cream. If you currently don’t have the onset of any fine lines or wrinkles around your eyes, it’s still a good idea to buy a regular eye cream that moisturizes, soothes tired eyes and also fights against dark circles, puffiness and bags.