Got Teeth?
Brad Pitt received a nod from the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry for best celebrity smile. You could call it a cheesy grin. A new study in the
Journal of Periodontology found that consuming at least three eight-ounce servings of bone-building dairy a day can strengthen your smile. Foods rich in lactic acid, such as yogurt, cottage cheese, and kefir, can improve the health of your gums and teeth by protecting gums from periodontal disease and preserving overall tooth health.
Stay the Course
Taking a break from exercising can lead to weight gain that is nearly impossible to lose. Researchers reporting in the journal
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise followed more than 40,000 runners for seven years and found that those who stopped running gained four times as much weight as those who kept their mileage above 20 miles a week. Also, when the runners who stopped tried to pick up their routines again, they had to run an additional 15.5 miles a week just to lose the weight they gained during their workout break. The takeaway: Fall off the wagon and it's very difficult to get back on.
Free Your Workout
Cable-assisted workouts are better for building strength than those that use standard weight machines, according to a new study in the
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. After comparing workouts using cable and pulley resistance machines with those using fixed-range machines, researchers found that cable workouts produced 58 percent greater increases in strength and 196 percent greater increases in balance compared with traditional plate-loaded workouts. "The chop is a great cable exercise that strengthens your pillar--your hips, torso, and shoulders," says trainer Kevin Elsey, of Athletes' Performance, in Tempe, Arizona. (See how to do this exercise in Get Back in the Game.)
Cross the Gender Line
So much for the rugged appeal of laugh lines and crow's-feet. Last year, 329,519 men had Botox injections. Before you treat your wrinkles with botulinum toxin, know that it takes twice as much serum to achieve results in men than in women, according to a study in
Dermatologic Therapy. Men's glabellar lines (wrinkles between the eyebrows) need 40 to 80 units, and their lateral orbital lines (crow's-feet) need 15 units.
Muscle Your Wrinkles
Creatine, popular with weight lifters for its ability to fuel muscles, is now being used to fight fine lines. The combination of topical creatine and folic acid protects skin from UV-induced DNA damage, increases skin firmness, reduces wrinkle volume, and regenerates the skin, according to a study in the
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. Nivea's DNAge Cell Renewal eye cream contains both ingredients. nivea.com
