The Keratin Toothpaste That Rebuilds Enamel
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“When it’s gone, it’s gone” is the common belief when it comes to tooth enamel. Nevertheless, there are such things as hydroxyapatite toothpaste which is not only as pathogen-killing as fluoride, but also has the added bonus of being based on one of the main minerals our teeth are made of (hydroxyapatite is a calcium phosphate compound), so it does aid in rebuilding,
There are pros and cons to both, by the way: Fluoride Toothpaste vs Non-Fluoride Toothpaste – Which is Healthier? ← with interesting numbers on the toxicity of each!
In that comparison (we compared fluoride to hydroxyapatite) we picked the fluoride on the basis of “they both do the job equally well, and they’re both very safe, but technically everything has a toxicity level, and fluoride’s is the relatively safest of these two very safe products”.
However, that’s assuming for the general job of “keeping teeth healthy”. If your teeth need remineralizing, hydroxyapatite will better promote that.
For more details, see: Tooth Remineralization: How To Heal Your Teeth Naturally
So, what’s this about keratin?
As you may be aware, keratin is a protein that can be used to make everything from your eyelashes to the horn of a rhinoceros to the wool of a lamb. Also, less usefully, sebaceous cysts, which (despite the name) or not filled with sebum, but keratin. See: How To Get Rid Of A Sebaceous Cyst
Researchers (Dr. Sara Gamea et al.) have discovered that when combined with calcium and phosphate from saliva (or, indeed, from hydroxyapatite), keratin self-organizes into a crystal-like framework that mimics natural enamel, gradually forming a dense, mineralized barrier over tooth surfaces.
And, which will be a huge relief to many, the keratin layer blocks nerve channels responsible for pain, protects against acid erosion, and prevents further enamel loss, offering both immediate comfort and long-term defense.
You can read the paper in full here: Biomimetic Mineralization of Keratin Scaffolds for Enamel Regeneration
While it’s not on the shelves just yet (discoveries do not leap straight from laboratories to supermarkets), Dr. Gamea and her team expect that the material could appear in consumer toothpaste or dentist-applied gels (like nail varnish) within a few years.
Why a few years? Because that’s how science and industry works: a discovery is made, and while that study is peer-reviewed, the important thing then is for others to also test it and see if they get the same results. So, that’ll require teams of scientists to beg on their hands and knees apply for grant money (often tied to the academic year), perform the studies (which will typically take months), get their work published (they hope), and finally get a commercial interest to take it up and mass produce it, and then a distributor to distribute it, and a retailer to retail it, all with contract negotiations in between each step.
So, while you’re waiting…
Want to learn more?
You might also like to read our own three-part series on dental health:
- Toothpastes & Mouthwashes: Which Help And Which Harm?
- Flossing Without Flossing?
- Less Common Oral Hygiene Options ← we recommend the miswak! Not only does it clean the teeth as well as or better than traditional brushing, but also it changes the composition of saliva to improve the oral microbiome, effectively turning your saliva into a biological mouthwash that kills unwanted microbes and is comfortable for the ones that should be there.
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Constipation increases your risk of a heart attack, new study finds – and not just on the toilet
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If you Google the terms “constipation” and “heart attack” it’s not long before the name Elvis Presley crops up. Elvis had a longstanding history of chronic constipation and it’s believed he was straining very hard to poo, which then led to a fatal heart attack.
We don’t know what really happened to the so-called King of Rock “n” Roll back in 1977. There were likely several contributing factors to his death, and this theory is one of many.
But after this famous case researchers took a strong interest in the link between constipation and the risk of a heart attack.
This includes a recent study led by Australian researchers involving data from thousands of people.
Elvis Presley was said to have died of a heart attack while straining on the toilet. But is that true? Kraft74/Shutterstock Are constipation and heart attacks linked?
Large population studies show constipation is linked to an increased risk of heart attacks.
For example, an Australian study involved more than 540,000 people over 60 in hospital for a range of conditions. It found constipated patients had a higher risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes compared to non-constipated patients of the same age.
A Danish study of more than 900,000 people from hospitals and hospital outpatient clinics also found that people who were constipated had an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.
It was unclear, however, if this relationship between constipation and an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes would hold true for healthy people outside hospital.
These Australian and Danish studies also did not factor in the effects of drugs used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension), which can make you constipated.
Researchers have studied thousands of people to see if there’s a link between constipation and heart attacks. fongbeerredhot/Shutterstock How about this new study?
The recent international study led by Monash University researchers found a connection between constipation and an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and heart failure in a general population.
The researchers analysed data from the UK Biobank, a database of health-related information from about half a million people in the United Kingdom.
The researchers identified more than 23,000 cases of constipation and accounted for the effect of drugs to treat high blood pressure, which can lead to constipation.
People with constipation (identified through medical records or via a questionnaire) were twice as likely to have a heart attack, stroke or heart failure as those without constipation.
The researchers found a strong link between high blood pressure and constipation. Individuals with hypertension who were also constipated had a 34% increased risk of a major heart event compared to those with just hypertension.
The study only looked at the data from people of European ancestry. However, there is good reason to believe the link between constipation and heart attacks applies to other populations.
A Japanese study looked at more than 45,000 men and women in the general population. It found people passing a bowel motion once every two to three days had a higher risk of dying from heart disease compared with ones who passed at least one bowel motion a day.
How might constipation cause a heart attack?
Chronic constipation can lead to straining when passing a stool. This can result in laboured breathing and can lead to a rise in blood pressure.
In one Japanese study including ten elderly people, blood pressure was high just before passing a bowel motion and continued to rise during the bowel motion. This increase in blood pressure lasted for an hour afterwards, a pattern not seen in younger Japanese people.
One theory is that older people have stiffer blood vessels due to atherosclerosis (thickening or hardening of the arteries caused by a build-up of plaque) and other age-related changes. So their high blood pressure can persist for some time after straining. But the blood pressure of younger people returns quickly to normal as they have more elastic blood vessels.
As blood pressure rises, the risk of heart disease increases. The risk of developing heart disease doubles when systolic blood pressure (the top number in your blood pressure reading) rises permanently by 20 mmHg (millimetres of mercury, a standard measure of blood pressure).
The systolic blood pressure rise with straining in passing a stool has been reported to be as high as 70 mmHg. This rise is only temporary but with persistent straining in chronic constipation this could lead to an increased risk of heart attacks.
High blood pressure from straining on the toilet can last after pooing, especially in older people. Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock Some people with chronic constipation may have an impaired function of their vagus nerve, which controls various bodily functions, including digestion, heart rate and breathing.
This impaired function can result in abnormalities of heart rate and over-activation of the flight-fight response. This can, in turn, lead to elevated blood pressure.
Another intriguing avenue of research examines the imbalance in gut bacteria in people with constipation.
This imbalance, known as dysbiosis, can result in microbes and other substances leaking through the gut barrier into the bloodstream and triggering an immune response. This, in turn, can lead to low-grade inflammation in the blood circulation and arteries becoming stiffer, increasing the risk of a heart attack.
This latest study also explored genetic links between constipation and heart disease. The researchers found shared genetic factors that underlie both constipation and heart disease.
What can we do about this?
Constipation affects around 19% of the global population aged 60 and older. So there is a substantial portion of the population at an increased risk of heart disease due to their bowel health.
Managing chronic constipation through dietary changes (particularly increased dietary fibre), increased physical activity, ensuring adequate hydration and using medications, if necessary, are all important ways to help improve bowel function and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Vincent Ho, Associate Professor and clinical academic gastroenterologist, Western Sydney University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Steps vs Cardio | Which is Best for Fat Loss, Health, & Performance?
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“Move more”, they say; but does it matter how quickly?
Use it or lose it
For general performance:
- More steps per day do offer slight aerobic benefits but do not significantly improve endurance.
- Higher-intensity cardio (ideally, HIIT) is essential for improving aerobic fitness.
- Training should match endurance goals (e.g. long-distance running vs team sports vs whatever it is that you care about for you).
For general health:
- Both cardio and step tracking reduce mortality risk and improve longevity.
- 2–3 hours of cardio per week provides most health benefits, with diminishing returns after 8 hours per week.
- 10,000+ steps/day is optimal, but 5,000+ steps/day still benefits health. And, not mentioned in this video, but really (per science) there seem to be diminishing returns after about 8,000 steps per day.
Fun fact: the reason it’s 10,000 steps per day that everyone talks about as the default goal, is just because the Japanese person who popularized it noted that the kanji for 10,000 looks a bit like a walking person: 万
For fat loss:
- Both step tracking and cardio do help.
- Step tracking better reflects total daily movement, while cardio burns calories in sessions—but if it’s not HIIT, there is likely to be a compensatory metabolic slump afterwards.
- High-intensity cardio increases fatigue, which may impact resistance training and diet adherence.
- Excessive endurance training can slightly inhibit muscle growth, but low-intensity steps have minimal interference.
So for fat loss, it’s best to get those steps in, and throw in a few HIIT sessions per week, with adequate recovery time between them.
For more on all of these things, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
How To Do HIIT (Without Wrecking Your Body)
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Strength Training For Women Over 40 – by Amy Neal
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As you may guess from the title, this book is aimed at those of us who are indeed women over 40. However, 80–90% of it is applicable to everyone.
Amy Neal, a professional personal trainer with many years of experience, talks us through everything we need to know (without assuming any prior knowledge) to get us up and running (or rather: up and lifting!) with strength-training. Specifically, and hence the 10–20% that might not be applicable to all readers, in the context of such things as female hormonal changes, age-related sarcopenia, the looming threat of bone density loss, and so forth.
The focus here is on the use of dumbbells, because when it comes to weights, they’re the most readily accessible, very versatile, and (with some basic understanding) easy to use safely at home.
Beyond the science and the safety advice, she also gives us a comprehensive full-body workout routine. Yes, entirely using dumbbells! And then, how to progress that routine into an intermediate version and, finally, an advanced version. She also covers common mistakes to avoid, challenges to overcome, and how. Lastly, for those who like short ready-made programs, she includes a 21-day workout challenge.
The style is conversational in tone without getting off-topic; simple to understand and easy to follow.
Bottom line: if you’re a woman over 40 who’d like to be stronger and don’t have a lot of experience with strength-training already, then this is an excellent way to get started.
Click here to check out Strength Training For Women Over 40, and get stronger at every age!
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Why Small Pleasures Become A Bigger, Not Smaller Deal, The More We Suffer & Age
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It all comes down to…
Perspective
As we age, we often develop a deeper appreciation for small, everyday moments—this video mentions the examples (amongst others) of enjoying a piece of chocolate, taking a walk, or spending time with a friend. These undramatic experiences tend to gain significance over time, even as one continues to encounter a wide range of places, people, and events. In contrast, youth is often marked by a desire for excitement, achievement, and grand experiences— sometimes at the cost of less attention being paid to the subtleties of daily life.
It’s not always about age itself, though, and this shift in perspective can come much sooner (or later!) for some than others, as it’s shaped in large part by life’s challenges. Difficult experiences—such as personal loss, illness, or financial crises—can lead us to value what is steady, peaceful, or modest. What once seemed mundane is seen differently by those who have navigated adversity, as a deeper awareness of life often emerges through contrast.
Writer’s anecdote: once upon a time when I was a 18, I became homeless. I wasn’t homeless for long in the grand scheme of things, a couple of months before I found myself a footing. But, for those months I was on the streets in the middle of a cold winter with literally nothing but the inadequate clothes I wore, no money whatsoever, and this was of course before smartphones and such. And even though it wasn’t a long time, it still affects me even after decades have passed, because to this day I often appreciate just watching the rain on my window from my warm dry house, and having a pantry stocked with food when I remember, all those years ago, sleeping cold and wet in the most ridiculous places, or an occasion of being glad to find a literal crust of stale bread on the sidewalk.
The point is, life can be hard, and yet here we are, living it, so let’s take a moment to “smell the roses” from time to time along our way. And yes, even when life has its thorns too! Because of course we’ll suffer sometimes at every age, sometimes even terribly. But where there is life, there is possibility, and there is beauty to be found.
For philosopher Alain de Botton’s words on all this (well, not about this writer’s life, but the rest of it), enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like:
9 Little Habits To Have A Better Day
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Improve Your Kidney Function In 24 Hours (5 Easy Things)
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Dr. Alex Wibberley explains:
Keep it simple
This is one where supplements can’t really help! By this we mean, no supplement meaningfully improves kidney function in healthy people, and some may worsen already damaged kidneys.
One of the biggest problems with kidney disease is that kidneys dutifully compensate silently for damage for years before blood tests become abnormal.
So, what causes it? There are a lot of factors that can contribute, including well-known ones such as failing to hydrate adequately, but one of the most common things is that chronically elevated insulin (not just blood sugar) drives kidney stress through increased sodium retention, higher blood pressure, sympathetic activation, and pressure inside filtering units. For this reason, kidney injury often begins years before a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, during prolonged periods of insulin resistance.
The good news: insulin levels (and therefore kidney stress) can change within hours depending on what you eat.
So, with that in mind, here are the 5 things Dr. Wibberley recommends:
- Eliminate liquid sugar: avoid all sugary drinks including fruit juices, because they cause the fastest and largest insulin spikes (whole fruit is fine though, even good).
- Prioritize protein and fiber: structure meals around protein and fiber first to slow digestion and reduce glucose and insulin spikes.
- Stop late eating: finish eating at least 3 hours before bed to create a low-insulin window that reduces kidney workload.
- Walk after meals: walk for 5–30 minutes after eating to lower blood sugar via muscle activity that partially bypasses insulin.
- Hydrate appropriately: aim for roughly 2–3 liters daily depending on your size and activity, avoiding both dehydration and overhydration.
A note on that last one: excessive water intake doesn’t “flush” kidneys and can even cause damage. Healthy kidneys can process around 1 liter of water per hour, so please avoid drinking more than that. Little and often is best!
- Short-term effects: within hours of lowering refined carbs, insulin drops, sodium excretion increases, blood volume and pressure fall slightly, and kidney stress decreases.
- Long-term principle: like many aspects of health, long-term kidney health depends on cumulative stress over years, so consistent small improvements change your long-term trajectory.
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:
- Are your Kidneys Ok? Detect Early To Protect Kidney Health (Here’s How)
- It’s More Than Just Hydration! Keeping Your Kidneys Healthy (Especially After 60)
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Avoiding Razor Burn, Ingrown Hairs & Other Shaving Irritation
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How Does The Video Help?
Dr. Simi Adedeji’s incredibly friendly persona makes this video (below) on avoiding skin irritation, ingrown hairs, and razor burn after shaving a pleasure to watch.
To keep things simple, she breaks down her guide into 10 simple tips.
What Are The 10 Simple Tips?
Tip 1: Prioritize Hydration. Shaving dry hair can lead to increased skin irritation, so Dr. Simi recommends moistening the hair by showering or using a warm, wet towel for 2-4 minutes before getting the razor out.
Tip 2: Avoid Dry Shaving. Dry shaving not only removes hair but can also remove the protective upper layer of skin, which contributes to razor burn. To prevent this, simply use some shaving gel or cream.
Tip 3: Keep Blades New and Sharp. This one’s simple: dull blades can cause skin irritation, whilst a sharp blade ensures a smoother and more comfortable shaving experience.
Tip 4: Avoid Shaving the Same Area Repeatedly. Multiple passes over the same area can remove skin layers, leading to cuts and irritation. Aim to shave each area only once for safer results.
Tip 5: Consider Hair Growth Direction. Shaving in the direction of hair growth results in less irritation, although it may not provide the closest shave.
Tip 6: Apply Gentle Pressure While Shaving. Excessive pressure can lead to cuts and nicks. Use a gentle touch to reduce these risks.
Tip 7: Incorporate Exfoliation into Your Routine. Exfoliating helps release trapped hairs and reduces the risk of ingrown hairs. For those with sensitive skin, it’s recommended to exfoliate either two days before or after shaving.
Tip 8: Avoid Excessive Skin Stretching. Over-stretching the skin during shaving can cause hairs to become ingrown.
Tip 9: Moisturize After Shaving. Shaving can compromise the skin barrier, leading to dryness. Using a moisturizer can be a simple fix.
Tip 10: Regularly Rinse Your Blade. Make sure that, during the shaving process, you are rinsing your blade frequently to remove hair and skin debris. This keeps it sharp during your shave.
If this summary doesn’t do it for you, then you can watch the full video here:
How did you find that video? If you’ve discovered any great videos yourself that you’d like to share with fellow 10almonds readers, then please do email them to us!
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