Health | 100 Tips

Jennifer Lawrence Just Dropped a Major Truth Bomb About Body-Shaming in Hollywood

Photo: Getty Images

It’s no secret that Jennifer Lawrence isn’t shy when it comes to talking about her weight, and The Hunger Games star is once again getting seriously candid about body image in Hollywood.

Lawrence is currently at San Diego Comic-Con, promoting Mockingjay: Part 2 and X-Men: Apocalypse. While there, she was asked during a panel if she thought there would be better roles available for women in the future.

“I would hope so,” she answered, according to Vulture. Then, she paused to admit that what she was about to say was “risky.”

“I’m starting this new thing: I’ve tried to develop a filter,” Lawrence said. “This could blow people’s hair back in a good way, or it could be my last time at Comic-Con.”

She then went on to drop a major truth bomb about body-shaming in Hollywood.

“I had a conversation with somebody about the struggles with weight in the industry—I know that’s something I talk nonstop about,” she said. “And they were saying, ‘All of the main movie stars aren’t very underweight.’ I said, ‘Yeah, because once you get to a certain place, people will hire you. They just want you to be in the movie, so they don’t care.'”

This isn’t always the case for actresses who are just starting out, Lawrence explains.

“I’m not really in a place where I can complain or speak to not getting enough roles, because I’m very lucky to have a lot of opportunities,” she said. “But I would be interested to hear someone who is not in two franchises answer that question.”

Essentially, no one in their right mind would tell someone with Jennifer Lawrence’s star power and fan base that they needed to shed a few pounds before they could be cast. But young actresses looking for their big break don’t always have the clout to stick up for themselves when a producer tells them to lose weight—or the thick skin to handle critics who call them fat, like several called Lawrence just three years ago.

(Apparently, they’re still judging what she eats; as she told Vulture, “I tried to grab French fries[,] and this stern lady swatted my hand away and said no!”

Kudos to you, J. Law, for never being afraid to speak your mind, this time about the unfair expectations Hollywood has for women’s bodies. We who eat French fries salute you.

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5 Crazy New Waters to Try (That Go Way Beyond Coconut)

Plain old water is awesome for your body—we all know that. (To recap: H2O helps with digestion, keeps your skin looking good, and may even help with weight loss.)

That said, some people just aren’t that into old-school water, maybe because of the taste, or the lack thereof. Here’s a potential solution for the meh-about-water types: plant-based waters. If you’re not regularly downing nature’s clear stuff, testing these waters may get you to your fluid goals, and some even give you a few bonus health perks. (Don’t go on a guzzle binge though—unlike actual water, these all contain sugar, some more than others.)

Here, five new-to-the-market varieties—beyond coconut—that might tempt your water-hating tastebuds:

Maple water

Try: DrinkMaple ($42 for 12 bottles; amazon.com)
The sugar factor: 5 grams in a 12-ounce bottle
What to know: You’ll get a slight hint of sweetness from this water tapped from maple trees. There are no ingredients added, and it’s not sticky like sap or syrup. The creators of DrinkMaple especially tout its electrolyte content, including the bone-boosting nutrients calcium and manganese.

Photo: courtesy of Maple Water

Cactus water

Try: Caliwater ($35 for 12 bottles; amazon.com)
The sugar factor: 9 grams in an 11.2-ounce bottle
What to know: It’s made from prickly pear cactus puree, along with its extract. Prickly pear water, specifically, may boast antioxidants like betalains, along with naturally-occurring electrolytes.

Photo: courtesy of Caliwater

Birch tree water

Try: Byarozavik Birch Tree Water ($42; amazon.com)
The sugar factor: 18 grams in a 17-ounce bottle
What to know: This traditional Scandinavian water comes from birch tree sap, which is slightly syrupy, but still goes down practically like water. Birch tree water is loaded with an array of minerals like calcium, zinc, iron, potassium and magnesium; the Byarozavik creators claim that getting the minerals in trace amounts, like you do when sipping their water, makes them easier to absorb.

Photo: courtesy of Byarozavik

RELATED: Fight Cellulite with Water

Watermelon water

Try: WTRMLN WTR ($53 for 12 bottles; amazon.com)
The sugar factor: 18 grams in a 12-ounce bottle
What to know: Just three ingredients go into this cold-pressed water (that’s technically a juice, but with less sugar than most): watermelon flesh, watermelon rind, and lemon—i.e., no extra sugar is added. You’ll get potassium amounts that top many a sports drink, in addition to vitamin C and lycopene, a phytochemical that’s found in red fruits.

Photo: courtesy of WTRMLN WR

Aloe vera water

Try: Aloe Gloe ($29 for 12 bottles; amazon.com)
The sugar factor: 8 grams in a 15.2-ounce bottle
What to know: The drink is made with organic aloe vera leaf gel powder (which apparently is a thing?). That’s combined with water, cane sugar, and Stevia. While many use aloe topically for sunburns, the drink may aid digestion, as aloe has a potential laxative effect.

Photo: courtesy of Aloe Gloe

RELATED: 4 Cool Uses for Aloe

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The Best Tinted Moisturizer for Every Skin Type

Foundation is great at creating flawless coverage à la Kim Kardashian, but it can be a little heavy to wear every day, especially in the summer. Beat the heat and still score a naturally perfect-looking complexion with one of these lightweight, tinted moisturizers instead—there’s one for every skin type and problem:

Dull, tired skin
Try: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 ($44, sephora.com)
This light liquid moisturizer has just the right hint of color with an added touch of shimmer to highlight skin for a dewy, lit-from-within finish.

sephora.com

RELATED: 5 Must-Have Makeup Products

Makeup meltdowns
Try: Tarte BB Tinted Treatment 12-Hour Primer SPF 30 ($36, sephora.com)
If makeup tends to slip right off your face in the summer, then this tint is the one for you. The built-in primer promises 12 hours of stay-put coverage and it’s oil-free, so you won’t have to worry about getting slick after you put it on.

sephora.com

Dry, dehydrated skin
Try: Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Day Tint SPF 15 ($48, sephora.com)
Your skin will drink up this gel-like tint. Think of it as a daily hydrating moisturizer that happens to have a little color to it, courtesy of the ceramides—natural moisturizers found in the skin—contained within it.

sephora.com

Wrinkles
Try: Cover FX CC Cream Time Release Tinted Treatment SPF 30 ($45, sephora.com)
Disguise any signs of aging while treating them, too! Licorice root extract reduces hyperpigmentation, peptides stimulate collagen, sea fennel extract helps with skin-cell turnover (aka: takes off old, dead cells so new, shiny skin can show!), and ginseng extracts brighten for an anti-aging arsenal in one tube.

sephora.com

RELATED: The Best Anti-Aging Secrets

Redness
Try: L’Oréal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream Anti-Redness ($11, ulta.com)
Think back to elementary-school days when you learned about complementary colors, and you’ll remember that red and green were across from each other on the color wheel. In the beauty world, that means you can use green-hued products to cancel out facial redness. But don’t worry: This cream won’t leave you looking like the Hulk. Upon contact with skin, it transforms into a nude shade that matches your skin tone for a flawless finish.

ulta.com

Oily, acne-prone skin
Try: La Roche-Posay Effaclar BB Blur ($30, ulta.com)
The mousse-like texture smoothes over skin to blur the look of acne, pores, and other imperfections, leaving a matte, airbrushed finish. This product is formulated with an ingredient called airlicium which, La Roche-Posay claims, has the ability to absorb three times its weight in oil so you can stay shine-free all day long.

ulta.com

No time for a full face
Try: Laneige BB Cushion ($33, target.com)
All tinted moisturizers are easy to apply (just slick them on with your fingers) but when you’re in a rush, a compact formula is your best bet for a no-fuss face. This BB cream is packaged like a powder but loaded with a cushion soaked in a featherweight, tinted moisturizer that’s applied with a sponge for easy, all-over coverage.

target.com

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What You Should Know About Leaky Gut Syndrome

Photo: Getty Images

What’s a leaky gut, and how do I know if I have one?

“Leaky gut syndrome,” on its own, is a diagnosis that’s not recognized across the board by conventional medicine. The theory is that having a poor diet or ingesting too many antibiotics or painkillers can damage the mucosal barrier, the layer of cells lining your intestine. Normally, this barrier lets nutrients through but blocks larger molecules and germs from getting into your bloodstream. It’s thought that a porous, or “leaky,” intestinal lining can allow food particles or germs to pass into the blood, causing inflammation throughout your body.

Symptoms of a leaky gut are said to include everything from bloating, gas and abdominal pain to recurrent vaginal infections, asthma and mood swings. Some experts even claim that leaky gut can put you at risk of serious conditions such as migraines, rheumatoid arthritis and food allergies.

Is it for real? There is evidence that having high “intestinal permeability” is involved in the development of certain autoimmune diseases, like Crohn’s and type 1 diabetes, in people who are already predisposed to these conditions. But it remains unclear whether intestinal permeability causes issues such as irritable bowel syndrome, food allergies or asthma—or if it’s just a symptom of them. In my experience, having a “leaky gut” is mostly a symptom of a disease, not a disease on its own.

There are tests your doctor can perform to measure how well your intestines are absorbing nutrients and blocking the bad stuff. The most common one involves drinking a mixture of mannitol (a small sugar molecule) and lactulose (a large one) and then testing your urine for each over six hours. But these tests are time-consuming and expensive, and they don’t reveal anything that your doctor can use to recommend treatment. So, honestly, there is no point in getting them.

Some alternative medicine practitioners recommend supplements or home tests (which they conveniently sell on their websites), but ignore these. The best advice for keeping your gut and its lining healthy is to eat plenty of fiber and fermented foods like kefir, or take a probiotic supplement, and stay hydrated

Health’s medical editor, Roshini Rajapaksa, MD, is assistant professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine and co-founder of Tula Skincare.

RELATED:

13 Best Foods for Your Gut Health

15 Foods That Help You Poop

13 Things You Should Know About the Stomach Flu

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Extreme Weather May Raise Risk of Salmonella Infection, Study Says

FRIDAY, July 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Extreme heat and rainfall are associated with rising rates of salmonella infections, a new study says.

Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Public Health suggest the risk for these infections is likely to grow as climate change increases the number of extreme weather events. They said coastal communities are particularly vulnerable to these food-borne bacterial infections.

“We found that extremely hot days and periods of extreme rainfall are contributing to salmonella infections in Maryland, with the most dramatic impacts being seen in the coastal communities,” Amir Sapkota, an associate professor in the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health, said in a university news release. “As we prepare for the future, we need to take this differential burden into account.”

Salmonella is a group of food- and waterborne bacteria. The germ is often found in uncooked poultry, eggs, beef and unwashed produce. In the United States, salmonella causes an estimated 1.2 million cases each year of severe gastroenteritis, commonly known as the “stomach flu.” Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, vomiting and stomach cramps.

In Maryland alone, more than 9,500 cases of salmonella were reported and confirmed between 2002 and 2012. Previous studies have suggested that weather, particularly temperature and rainfall, plays a role in salmonella infections, the researchers said.

Using three decades of weather data as a baseline, the study’s authors identified extreme heat and rain events from 2002 to 2012. These events were linked to health department data on salmonella infections.

The team of researchers, which included environmental epidemiologists, microbiologists, earth system scientists and officials from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, found there was a higher rate of salmonella infections during summer months than at any other time of year.

The observed risk for this bacterial infection during heat waves was 5.1 percent for people living on the coast, compared to 1.5 percent for people living inland. The risk for these infections during extreme rain was 7.1 percent for coastal residents, compared to 3.6 percent for those in non-coastal areas, the study found.

The study’s authors said their findings suggest public health officials should improve preparedness and response to the health effects of climate change at local, state and national levels.

The study was published recently in the journal Environment International.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides more information on Salmonella.

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Celiac Disease in Family May Up Your Risk for Related Disorders

FRIDAY, July 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Close relatives and even the spouses of people with celiac disease appear to face a raised risk for other types of autoimmune disorders, a new analysis suggests.

Autoimmune disorders arise when the immune system launches an attack on the body’s own tissue.

“The prevalence of celiac disease in first-degree relatives of individuals with celiac is approximately 10 percent,” said study author Dr. Louise Emilsson, of Oslo University in Norway.

“Despite these findings, little is known about the risk of non-celiac autoimmune disease in these individuals,” she said in a news release from the American Gastroenterological Association. “We found convincing results that close relatives are also at risk for these conditions, but more surprisingly, we found that spouses may also be at risk.”

Celiac disease is a digestive disorder. It interferes with absorption of nutrients from food and damages the small intestines. People with the disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.

The researchers analyzed data collected by Sweden’s national medical registry and focused on the risk for developing a wide range of autoimmune disorders, from Crohn’s disease to type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

The risk for such disorders was explored among more than 84,000 fathers, mothers, siblings and children of celiac patients — all considered first-degree relatives — and spouses. They were tracked for an average of almost 11 years, and their risk profiles were compared with those of nearly 431,000 men and women who had no close relationship with a celiac patient (the “control” group).

The result: more than 4 percent of the close relatives developed a non-celiac autoimmune disorder. This compared with just a little more than 3 percent of the control group.

Although the study found an association between having a close relative with celiac disease and risk of developing an autoimmune disorder, the link seen in the study does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

The explanation may be partly genetic and partly environmental, the researchers suggested. It’s also possible that people close to celiac patients may be more likely to seek medical attention for autoimmune disorders — or that doctors who know of the celiac patient are more likely to look for autoimmune disorders in their family members.

Lupus, type 1 diabetes and sarcoidosis (an inflammatory disease) were the most common non-celiac autoimmune diseases seen, the study authors said.

The findings appear in the July issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

More information

For more on celiac disease, see the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

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Second Severe Allergic Reaction Isn’t Uncommon

FRIDAY, July 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — About 15 percent of children who have a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) can have a second one within a few hours, a new study shows.

“The key message here for parents, caregivers and first responders is to administer epinephrine at the first sign of a severe allergic reaction to prevent anaphylaxis from worsening,” Dr. James Sublett, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, said in a college news release.

“Anaphylaxis symptoms occur suddenly and can progress quickly. Always have a second dose with you and, when in doubt, administer it, too. Anaphylaxis can be fatal if left untreated,” he added.

Early symptoms of a severe allergic reaction may be mild, such as a runny nose, skin rash or “strange feeling.” But these symptoms can quickly progress to more serious problems, including difficulty breathing, hives or swelling, throat tightness, nausea, abdominal pain and even cardiac arrest, the researchers said.

The study team looked at the medical records of almost 500 children seen in an emergency department for severe allergic reactions to determine whether the children had a second, follow-up reaction.

These delayed reactions occur when the initial symptoms of an allergic reaction subside but then return hours later. This second reaction occurs even though the children haven’t been exposed again to the allergen that caused the first reaction, explained the authors of the study published recently in the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

About one in seven kids had a second reaction, the researchers found.

“We found that 75 percent of the secondary reactions occurred within six hours of the first,” lead author Dr. Waleed Alqurashi, from the University of Ottawa in Canada, said in the news release.

“A more severe first reaction was associated with a stronger possibility of a second reaction. Children aged 6 to 9, children who needed more than one dose of epinephrine and children who do not get immediate epinephrine treatment were among the most likely to develop secondary reactions,” Alqurashi said.

At least half of the second allergic reactions were considered serious and had to be treated with epinephrine.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has more about anaphylaxis.

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In Some Ways, Fast Food No Worse for Health Than Full-Service Meals: Study

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, July 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Eating on the run might not be so bad after all: A new study finds diners consume more salt and cholesterol in sit-down restaurants than they do in fast-food joints.

“People usually view fast food as junk food, and blame it for serving an extra intake of calories, sugars and sodium,” said study author Ruopeng An, an assistant professor in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

“That’s often true when compared with eating at home. But we found that when the comparison is with full-service restaurants, fast food is not necessarily worse,” An said.

For example, he said, people who frequent fast-food places and full-service restaurants consume about the same number of additional calories (nearly 200) and total fat (about 10 grams), on average, compared to those who cook their meals at home.

The findings were published recently in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

To compare eating habits in different settings, the research team sifted through data collected between 2003 and 2010 by the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Nearly 18,100 American adults were asked on two occasions to describe the meals they consumed in the preceding 24 hours.

A little less than one-third reported having eaten at a fast-food restaurant during that time, while from one-fifth to one-quarter said they had eaten at a full-service restaurant.

The survey determined that full-service restaurant meals are actually healthier than fast-food meals or home cooked meals when it comes to containing certain key vitamins (B6, vitamin E, vitamin K, copper and zinc), as well as potassium and omega-3 fatty acids.

But regular restaurant meals also scored the worst on cholesterol intake, containing an average of 58 milligrams (mg) of extra cholesterol a day compared with home-cooked meals. Fast-food meals only contained an extra 10 mgs of cholesterol, the researchers said.

Regular restaurants also contained 412 mgs of extra sodium a day, compared with home meals. Fast food’s excess sodium content amount to an extra 300 mgs.

Excess sodium, in the form of salt, poses a risk for high blood pressure and heart disease. Elevated cholesterol also hurts heart health.

Still, fast-food meals had the poorest marks with respect to excess saturated fat content, and contained significantly more sugar (and significantly less fiber, vitamin A, D, and C, and magnesium) than home-cooked meals, while full-service restaurant meals did not.

The study authors also found some individual differences. Obese patrons tended to consume more calories than their slimmer peers regardless of where they ate out, while blacks tended to consume more calories, fats, salt and sugar in either type of restaurant compared to whites or Hispanics.

And in a twist, An pointed out that eating meals at home after ordering them at a regular-service restaurant (though not at a fast-food place) made for a healthier bottom line than eating out.

“It’s probably due to the fact that eating out is more likely a social event,” he said. “More time is spent eating. And also when the food is brought home, it’s more likely to be combined with healthier food at home.”

Either way, An added, “we recommend that people consume their own food in their own home whenever possible.”

Recognizing that’s not always possible, Lona Sandon, an assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, shared some tips for those who do eat out.

“First thing people can do when eating out is look for foods or entrees that include fresh, steamed, baked, or grilled vegetables and lean meats,” she said. She also favors fruits, vegetables, green salads with lean protein, and broth-based and lentil soups.

“Second, think small,” Sandon added. “Choose the small option when available, ask if a half portion is an option, or order a kid’s sized meal.”

More information

For more tips on eating out, see the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

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Cost of Hospital Birth Varies by Nearly $10,000 Across U.S.

FRIDAY, July 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The cost of having a baby in a hospital varies by nearly $10,000 across the United States, a new study finds.

The analysis of 2011 data from 463 hospitals nationwide found the average bill for a maternity stay ranged from $1,189 to $11,986.

Costs at hospitals with higher rates of cesarean delivery or serious pregnancy complications were much higher than those with lower rates, according to the study in the July issue of the journal Health Affairs.

Childbirth is the leading reason for hospitalization in the United States, but there has been little comparison of the costs of having a baby at hospitals across the nation, the Yale School of Medicine researchers noted.

“Hospital practices might be an important contributor to the variation in costs, and there may be opportunities for cost reduction,” team leader Xiao Xu, assistant professor in the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale, in New Haven, Conn., said in a school news release.

“These may include safely reducing cesarean deliveries, increasing the coordination of care, and emphasizing the value of care through new payment and delivery systems,” Xu suggested.

More information

The U.S. Office on Women’s Health has more about labor and birth.

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3 Myths and Facts About Dandruff

Photo: Getty Images

Got flakes or an itchy, irritated scalp? These are typical signs of dandruff, a chronic skin condition that affects more than 50 percent of us. No need to suffer: We asked Ilyse Lefkowicz, MD, Head & Shoulders global dermatologist who specializes in scalp health, to dispel some myths about this common and totally treatable problem.

MYTH Dandruff is caused by poor hygiene.

The condition can develop on even the cleanest scalp. A fungus called Malassezia lives on the skin and scalp of all adults—for some, though, the fungus causes irritation. (Experts don’t know why.) The result: Skin cells shed at a rate that’s much faster than normal, leading to flakiness.

TRUTH There is no cure for dandruff.

But you don’t have to live with flakes. Antidandruff shampoos with zinc, like Head & Shoulders Instant Relief Shampoo ($4; Walmart.com) and Malin + Goetz Dandruff Shampoo ($26; Bloomingdales.com), temporarily slow the production of skin cells.

MYTH Dandruff gets worse in the winter.

The Malassezia bug actually thrives in hot, moist environments, so the irritation can peak in warmer months—or after an intense workout. Hit the showers after you sweat, and wash your hair at least every three days to rinse away dead skin and dial down on excess oil.

RELATED:

21 Reasons You’re Losing Your Hair

Cutting Back on Shampoo? 15 Things You Should Know

How to Make a Blowout Last Longer

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Jennifer Lawrence Just Dropped a Major Truth Bomb About Body-Shaming in Hollywood

5 Crazy New Waters to Try (That Go Way Beyond Coconut)

Maple water

Cactus water

Birch tree water

Watermelon water

Aloe vera water

The Best Tinted Moisturizer for Every Skin Type

What You Should Know About Leaky Gut Syndrome

Extreme Weather May Raise Risk of Salmonella Infection, Study Says

Celiac Disease in Family May Up Your Risk for Related Disorders

Second Severe Allergic Reaction Isn’t Uncommon

In Some Ways, Fast Food No Worse for Health Than Full-Service Meals: Study

Cost of Hospital Birth Varies by Nearly $10,000 Across U.S.

3 Myths and Facts About Dandruff

MYTH Dandruff is caused by poor hygiene.

TRUTH There is no cure for dandruff.

MYTH Dandruff gets worse in the winter.