Do Tanning Beds Have Any Benefits?
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There is one answer:
No
Or rather, the answer is “no” unless we want to take some liberties about what we want to consider a benefit. For example:
- If the temporary aesthetic of a tan is a benefit to you, then that’s a benefit (but we urge you to value your health over that)
- If the experience of going there is a benefit to you, then that’s a benefit (but we urge you to find a comparable experience that’s less harmful)
- If… You know what, we’re already out of things that could even be reasonably considered a benefit (but we trust you get the point)
But, health benefits? Beyond any mental health benefits that could be better acquired through other means? No.
The closest thing to a counterexample could be that some will say (correctly) that a tanning bed will clear up acne.
But that’s a problem, not a benefit. Not because you pressingly needed the acne bacteria alive, but because irradiating your skin in such a manner that laid waste to your skin microbiome had two negative effects:
- It killed the rest of your skin microbiome, too. Or at least most of it.
- That same UV radiation is not any better for you than it was for those microbes.
For more on that first item, see: Your Skin Microbiome & The Sun ← because your microbiome can actually help protect you against the sun’s rays, but even they can and will be destroyed by the intense ferocity that is the UV radiation of a tanning bed.
Recently, researchers (Dr. Annika Marty et al.) compared medical records from 3,000 tanning bed users with similarly aged non-users and sequenced skin biopsies using technology focused on melanocytes and found that people who use tanning beds have nearly a 3x higher risk of melanoma compared with non-users, after adjusting for age, sunburn history, and family history.
Based on this research and more (i.e., the many other papers cited in the paper we’ll link below), it’s clear that sunbeds cause mutations in melanocytes, with tanning bed users showing nearly twice as many mutations, making skin cells more susceptible to cancer.
You can read the paper in full, here: Molecular effects of indoor tanning
It’s also worth noting that World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies tanning beds in the highest cancer risk category, alongside smoking and asbestos, with melanoma causing nearly 60,000 deaths per year.
So, please don’t let that be you or your loved ones.
Want to learn more?
We’ve tackled some related issues before, diving into the science, including:
…and:
And if you already have sun-damaged skin…
Undo The Sun’s Damage To Your Skin
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The Other “Executive Functions” (And What Happens When They Dysfunction)
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It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!
Have a question or a request? We love to hear from you!
In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!
No question/request too big or small 😎
❝About ‘executive functions’ – isn’t that just ‘making the decisions to do things and doing them’? Or is there something more to it than that?❞
In short: yes and yes
That is to say: yes it is “just” that, but much like a heart transplant is “just” transplanting the heart*, the full process is actually quite complex and in fact it comes in numerous parts:
- Activation: organizing, prioritizing, and activating to work
- Focus: focusing, sustaining, and shifting attention to tasks
- Effort: regulating alertness, sustaining effort, and processing speed
- Emotion: managing frustration and modulating emotions
- Memory: using working memory and accessing recall
- Action: monitoring and self-regulating action
You can add “effectively” to each of these, because if you’re not doing it effectively, then you arguably are still doing it, but badly.
This is why we say “executive dysfunction” and not “executive lack-of-function”!
Which you can read about in full here, including expanding a lot on the above list and associated details: Executive function deficits in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder
*Speaking of heart transplants: it’s interesting that when we do an article about mental health, we sometimes get reader feedback saying “I didn’t like it” and such things as “if anyone can’t do this, they have problems!”. Or rather, the contrast is interesting—we never get those sorts of comments on articles about, say, cardiovascular health. Nobody writes to tell us “if anyone can’t adequately pump blood around their body, they have problems!” because yes they do, cardiovascular problems, and we’re a health science publication, and half of what we write about is health problems and available solutions or, failing there being solutions, strategies to at least mitigate the harm.
The only difference is that neurological problems tend to be more stigmatized than cardiovascular problems, and it is more expected that people should be able to just “pull themselves together”. But a person with executive dysfunction can no more do that than a person with circulation issues can just will their blood to run more smoothly (and have it work).
So, does it affect you?
Take This Two-Minute Executive Dysfunction Test to find out!
How did you score? (8/16 here!)
Did you do it? (it honestly is really two minutes and is quite informative)
If not, here’s your cue to go back up and do it 😉
Ok, what to do about it?
First, the bad news: you cannot willpower your way out of executive dysfunction by sheer force of will.
Now, the good news: there are some things you can do to mitigate the problems!
For example:
*Yes, now!
Want to learn more?
This can help a lot:
How Reading Changes Your Brain, Unnaturally
Enjoy!
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Asparagus vs Zucchini – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing asparagus to zucchini, we picked the asparagus.
Why?
It wasn’t close:
In terms of macros, asparagus has more fiber, carbs, and protein, making it the more nutritionally-dense option in this category.
In the category of vitamins, asparagus has more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B7, B9, E, K, and choline, while zucchini has more of vitamins B6 and C. An easy win for asparagus.
When it comes to minerals, asparagus has more calcium, copper, iron, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc, while zucchini has more magnesium and potassium. Another clear win for asparagus.
Looking at polyphenols, asparagus has 23.2mg/100g quercetin, while zucchini has 1.32mg/100g quercetin—one more easy win for asparagus.
Adding up the sections makes for an overwhelming win for asparagus, but by all means enjoy either or both; diversity is good!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Fight Inflammation & Protect Your Brain, With Quercetin
Enjoy!
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What are the key risk factors for developing knee osteoarthritis? We reviewed the evidence
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Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease, affecting more than 3 million Australians and over 500 million people worldwide.
The knee is the most commonly affected joint, but osteoarthritis can also affect other joints including the hips and hands. The condition causes painful and stiff joints.
For someone with knee osteoarthritis, simple activities that many people take for granted such as walking, going up and down stairs or squatting can be very challenging.
There’s currently no cure for osteoarthritis. Most available treatments, such as exercise, walking aids and medicines (including paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), focus on managing symptoms. But it’s important to consider how we can prevent knee osteoarthritis in the first place.
With this in mind, we undertook a systematic review to summarise the risk factors for developing knee osteoarthritis. Our findings, published today in the journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, can help us better understand how to lower the risk of this condition.
What we found
We gathered data from studies which followed people over time, to see which risk factors were associated with developing knee osteoarthritis. We included a total of 131 studies, involving more than 5 million people.
We identified more than 150 factors that influenced the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis.
Some key factors which increased the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis included being overweight or obese, past knee injury and occupational physical activity such as lifting heavy objects and shift work.
We also found several other possible risk factors, including:
- eating large amounts of ultra-processed foods (which include “junk foods”, sugary drinks and processed meats)
- poor sleep quality (for example, sleeping less than six hours a day or having 1–2 restless nights per week)
- feeling depressed.
Being overweight or obese and past knee injury together accounted for 14% of the overall risk of developing knee osteoarthritis.
In other words, if we were able to completely remove these two risk factors, we could potentially reduce the incidence of knee osteoarthritis in the population by 14%.
Females had almost double the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis, and older age was slightly related to developing knee osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis of the knee affects millions of people worldwide. Towfiqu barbhuiya/Pexels Protective factors
On the other hand, we found some factors may lower the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis. These included following a Mediterranean diet (which includes plenty of vegetables, olive oil, nuts, fruit and healthy fats found in fish), and following a diet higher in fibre.
Avoiding the things which increase the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis such as a diet high in ultra-processed foods, knee injury, weight gain and heavy lifting can also help a person reduce their risk of developing the condition.
Exercise is an effective treatment for knee osteoarthritis. It can reduce pain and improve function.
There was not enough information in our study to determine what types of physical activity (for example, walking, running, swimming) and how much time spent doing these activities could lower the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis, so this is an important area for future research.
How can we explain these links?
The studies we included did not generally explore the possible mechanisms linking key risk factors with the development of knee osteoarthritis.
However other research may provide some helpful insights. Knee injury can lead to instability of the knee joint and additional wear on the knee which can lead to knee osteoarthritis. Similarly, occupational physical activity such as kneeling, squatting, climbing or heavy lifting can increase the risk of wear and tear on the knee.
Poor sleep has been linked to weight gain and depression.
The duration and quality of sleep has been found to affect how much we eat and the hormones responsible for regulating metabolism. Depression has been linked to reduced physical activity which can lead to weight gain. Carrying extra weight can increase the load on the knee and contribute to knee osteoarthritis.
Shift work can lead to bad food choices and lack of sleep, which in turn can increase the risk of knee osteoarthritis.
So it seems that while the risk factors we found may be contributing individually to the development of knee osteoarthritis, they may also be interacting together to increase the risk.
It’s not clear why women are at greater risk of developing knee osteoarthritis. However this is likely to be due to a combination of factors, including lifestyle, biological and hormonal factors.
A Mediterranean diet is high in polyphenols, which can reduce inflammation in the body and destruction of cartilage. It may lower the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis in this way.
Lifestyle changes could reduce the risk of knee osteoarthritis. PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock Most risk factors are modifiable
There were some limitations with the available evidence. Most studies were based on populations from the United States, or did not report on ethnicity. We know little about the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis in certain groups such as people from Hispanic, African and Southeast Asian backgrounds. We need more studies exploring risk factors in other countries and populations.
Nonetheless, a review like this allows us to better understand what can be done to lower the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis.
We found most risk factors associated with developing knee osteoarthritis are modifiable, which means they can be changed or better managed with healthy diet and lifestyle choices. Eating healthy, maintaining a healthy weight and taking proactive steps to prevent injuries in the workplace and sporting communities can potentially lower a person’s risk of developing the condition.
Public health strategies aimed at encouraging healthy eating and weight loss (for example, subsidised nutrition programs and education programs starting from a young age to promote optimal diet and physical activity) could reduce the burden of knee osteoarthritis and have broader health benefits as well.
Programs like these, as well as reducing heavy lifting in the workplace where possible, should be the focus of government strategies to address the burden of this painful condition globally.
Christina Abdel Shaheed, Associate Professor, School of Public Health, University of Sydney; David Hunter, Professor of Medicine, University of Sydney; Lyn March, Liggins Professor of Rheumatology and Musculosketal Epidemiology Medicine, Northern Clinical School, University of Sydney, and Vicky Duong, Research Fellow, Kolling Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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The Vagus Nerve’s Power for Weight Loss
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Dr. Arun Dhir is a university lecturer, a gastrointestinal surgeon, an author, and a yoga and meditation instructor, and he has this to say:
Gut feelings
The vagus nerve is the 10th cranial nerve, also known as “vagus” (“the wanderer”), because it travels from the brain to many other body parts, including the ears, throat, heart, respiratory system, gut, pancreas, liver, and reproductive system. It’s no surprise then, that it plays a key role in brain-gut communication and metabolism regulation.
The vagus nerve is part of the parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for rest, digestion, and counteracting the stress response. Most signals through the vagus nerve travel from the gut to the brain, though there is communication in both directions.
You may be beginning to see how this works and its implications for weight management: the vagus nerve senses metabolites from the liver, pancreas, and small intestine, and regulates insulin production by stimulating beta cells in the pancreas, which is important for avoiding/managing insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in general.
Dr. Dhir cites a study in which vagus nerve stimulation (originally used for treating epilepsy and depression) was shown to cause unintentional weight loss (6-11%) in patients, revealing a link to weight management. Of course, that is quite a specific sample, so more research is needed to say for sure, but because the principle is very sound and the mechanism of action is clear, it’s not being viewed as a controversial conclusion.
As for how get these benefits, here are seven ways:
- Cold water on the face: submerge your face in cold water in the morning while holding water in your mouth, or cover your face with a cold wet washcloth (while holding your breath please; no need to waterboard yourself!), which activates the “mammalian dive response” in which your body activates the parasympathetic nervous system in order to remain calm and thus survive for longer underwater
- Alternate hot and cold showers: switch between hot and cold water during showers for 10-second intervals; this creates eustress and activates the process of hormesis, improving your overall stress management and reducing any chronic stress response you may otherwise have going on
- Humming and gargling: the vibrations in the throat stimulate the nearby vagus nerve
- Deep breathing (pranayama): yoga breathing exercises, especially combined with somatic exercises such as the sun salutation, can stimulate the vagus nerve
- Intermittent fasting: helps recalibrate the metabolism and indirectly improves vagus nerve function
- Massage and acupressure: stimulates lymphatic channels and the vagus nerve
- Long walks in nature (“forest bathing”): helps trigger relaxation in general
For more on all of this, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
The Vagus Nerve (And How You Can Make Use Of It)
Take care!
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Dopamine Nation – by Dr. Anna Lembke
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We live in an age of abundance, though it often doesn’t feel like it. Some of that is due to artificial scarcity, but a lot of it is due to effectively whiting out our dopamine circuitry through chronic overuse.
Psychiatrist Dr. Anna Lembke explores the neurophysiology of pleasure and pain, and how each can (and does) lead to the other. Is the answer to lead a life of extreme neutrality? Not quite.
Rather, simply by being more mindful of how we seek each (yes, both pleasure and pain), we can leverage our neurophysiology to live a better, healthier life—and break/avoid compulsive habits, while we’re at it.
That said, the book itself is quite compelling reading, but as Dr. Lembke shows us, that certainly doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
Bottom line: if you sometimes find yourself restlessly cycling through the same few apps (or TV channels) looking for dopamine that you’re not going to find there, this is the book for you.
Click here to check out Dopamine Nation, and get a handle on yours!
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Age Proof – by Dr. Rose Anne Kenny
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We don’t generally include an author bio, but in this case it’s worth noting that Dr. Kenny, the Chair of Medical Gerontology at Trinity College Dublin, with over 300 staff under her, has 704 peer-reviewed publications to her name, and enough awards and honors and achievements to more than fill a page on her university’s website.
In short, she knows her stuff.
A lot of the material in this book will not be completely new to regular 10almonds readers; there’s a lot about Blue Zones supercentenarians, the usual qualities associated with healthy longevity in those places (diet, lifestyle, etc), as well as genetic factors and epigenetic, and so forth.
Some items are… Not new, but not so commonly focused on in such works; for example, Dr. Kenny devotes a chapter to sleep, a chapter to laughter, a chapter to hormesis, and a chapter to sexual activity, amongst others.
Another thing she delivers that a lot of books of this kind don’t is that she has a collection of “Test Yourself” appendices, so that you can establish where you are relative to various benchmarks of aging.
Dr. Kenny also references her own work especially with TILDA (The Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging) that she has directed for many years, which has a vast amount of data and many important findings, which adds another extra strength to this book often not found in others.
The style is surprisingly personal, making it an enjoyable read as well as an educational one, and yet with a lot of hard science throughout—explained well for the layperson though, and thoroughly referenced with an extensive bibliography.
Bottom line: if you’d like to be (and continue to be!) “young for your years”, then this is an excellent book to get (and/or keep) you on the right track.
Don’t Forget…
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