Recall: Clairol pulls 10 popular hair color products from store shelves

By Colette Bouchez

If you’re a fan of  Clairol Natural Instincts home hair coloring, you might want  to skip it  this month and  splurge on a trip to the salon instead.  The reason?  Proctor and Gamble – the parent company of Clairol – has just recalled 10 of it’s most popular shades for what they are calling “unwanted  color results”.

The voluntary recall involves  three color waves of Natural Instincts home hair coloring products including two shades of brown,  six Creme shades of brown and red and two Vibrant shades of blonde. The  products  were all sold in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico.
The company says  problems stem from a mismatch between the dye and the ColorFresh! Revitalizer packet that comes packaged with the kit.   ColorFresh! is used approximately 2 weeks after the initial coloring  to help revitalize the shade.  Except in this instance, you could end up with an entirely different color than you had before.
Although P&G is moving quickly to remove all the affected boxes of dye from store shelves, if you’ve already purchased one, the advice is to simply toss  the ColorFresh! Revitalizer.The other components of the kit including the colorant and the conditioner are safe to use, says P&G.
A new supply of the hair coloring with the correct colorations are expected to be back on store shelves by May 11, 2011.

To see if your color is on the list, click here.

Other beauty-health news
In other beauty health news, last week an Italian company announced a brand new peptide they say can stop the formation of cellulite- that “orange-peel” skin that many women and some men tend to develop on their thighs, upper arms and buttocks. The peptide –  known as Silusyne – is said to help decrease the number of adipocytes  - those dimpled fat cells we call cellulite -  by interfering with their development.

"We measured the ingredient on how well it can decrease dermo-hypodermal junction irrergularities [skin dimples].The fewer the number of fat cells, the fewer the irregularities," says Elena Canadas, marketing manager for Lipotec, the company bringing the new technology to market.  
That said,  you probably don't want to toss that beach coverup just yet:  There is no word  on whether  the new peptide will make it's way into a consumer product any time soon.

For the latest health, beauty and style advice for women over 40 subscribe to RedDressDiary   - It's Free! And be sure to check out www.CheapChicDiary.com for money saving beauty and style tips! 


Copyright by ElleMedia Network 2011 - All Rights Reserved. In addition to US Copyright, the text of this RedDressDiary article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License. All formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license, and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements. The original version of this story appeared on Examiner.com.

Fertility Over 40: Getting Pregnant In The Cloud

Photo Courtesy of GreenFertility.com 

By Colette Bouchez

As the effort to get pregnant over the age of 35 can increase, sometimes to Herculean proportions,  any piece of the puzzle, no matter how small, is worth finding. And that was truly the case last week when one of the biggest mysteries in reproductive medicine was solved: How exactly does his sperm know where to go find your egg - and once it does, what triggers the ability to get inside so fertilization can occur.  This is important at any age, but for women over 35 and especially those over 40, the answer provides more information than the question asks. 

Indeed now, two new findings - both published this week in the journal Nature - claim to have that answer and more - and it all hinges on woman's ability to produce progesterone, the hormone that, as we age, can be in short supply. 

Indeed, new research published simultaneously  this week by the University of California, San Francisco, and the Center of Advanced European Study and Research in Bonn, Germany,  report that when an egg is ready to be fertilized, cells surrounding that egg release a "cloud" of  progesterone aimed right at sperm.

That progesterone burst sends out a kind of biochemical "come hither" signal calling sperm to it's side. But more importantly, the progesterone acts directly  on  a unique ion chanel within the  body of sperm which causes a rush of calcium to move from the head into the tail. 

It is this rush of calcium, say researchers,  that causes the tail of the sperm to begin beating almost manically, not only sending it flying to the eggs side,  but also helping one sperm penetate the outer shell of the egg and get inside, so fertilization can take place.

"We think that progesterone acts directly as a ligant that binds this channel and gates it open," says UB Kaupp, of the Center of Advanced European Studies and Research and senior author of the first paper.

In the past, doctors always believed there was some type of silent, biocheical "radar" calling  sperm to  egg and many suspected progesterone played a role.  But it wasn't until this new research came forward that the source of this silent call - and how it works -  was fully indentified.

"It was a scientific mystery -- a puzzle," said  Kaupp. And now, it seems that puzzle is solved.

Vitamins, progesterone & getting pregnant

While the research emphasizes the importance of proper hormone balance in order for pregnancy to occur, indirectly it also gives creedence to a growing notion that nutrients involved in the production of progesterone - namely beta carotene, and vitamins B6 and C- might also play a role in getting pregnant.   

 " When any of these vitamins are in short supply a woman's body simply can't make enough progesterone -  the hormone necessary to to not only build the spongy lining of  the womb necessary for an embryo to implant, but now , it seems, also necessary for  making certain that sperm arrive at the right place at the right time, " says fertility expert Dr. Niels Lauersen, author of "Green Fertility: Nature's Secrets for Making Babies. 

Equally important,  says Lauersen, is that this research opens the door to  developing new avenues of treatment for  male infertility

 "If the new research is correct then there are at least two new possibilities behind male infertility: Sperm that can't pick up the signal being emited by the progesterone, or sperm that  can't process that signal  in a way that increases tail motion necessary for swimming to,  getting inside of,  the egg," says Lauersen.

Either way, experts say  it's clear that making babies involves more than just a casual meeting of sperm and egg -  it requires real "chemistry" . And maybe that's what boy meets girl is really all about.

Colette Bouchez is a fertilty researcher and co-author of the book Green Fertility. 

For the latest health, beauty and style advice for women over 40 subscribe to RedDressDiary   - It's Free! And be sure to check out www.CheapChicDiary.com for money saving beauty and style tips! 


Copyright by ElleMedia Network 2011 - All Rights Reserved. In addition to US Copyright, the text of this RedDressDiary article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License. All formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license, and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements. The original version of this story appeared on Examiner.com. 

CardioSmart: Free Online Tools Help Women Beat Heart Disease

By Colette Bouchez
Have heart disease? Wondering if you’re at risk? Looking for new ways to improve your heart health - besides eating all that leftover chocolate from Valentine's Day?

As we hit the midway point in the Wear Red/ Women’s Heart Health Awareness month, the American College of Cardiology is offering some important new tools for not just learning about your heart health, but taking control of your risks – and maybe even saving your own life!

Among them is a set of five free CardioSmart Survival Guides - easy –to-read and easy-to-use resources for five of the most common heart problems disgnosed today. These include coronary artery disease, heart failure, arrhythmia (or irregular heart beat), hypertension ( or high blood pressure) and heart attack.

Developed by cardiologists for use with their own patients, the survival guides not only help you to better understand these conditions if you have them – or you’re at risk for developing them - they can also help you talk to your doctor about the kind treatments and lifestyle changes that could make a huge difference in how your feel and in your overall health.

In each of the guides you’ll learn what the condition is all about, how and why it occurs, questions to ask your doctor to ensure you get the best care possible, and most important, tips for living well with each condition.

"These Survival Guides are designed to take some of the guesswork out of taking care of your heart and encourage open discussion with your cardiologist. Something as simple as educating yourself and making small changes every day can have a profound effect on your heart health,” says Ralph G. Brindis, M.D., M.P.H., president of the American College of Cardiology.

Indeed, each year more women die of heart disease than all forms of cancer combined. Indeed, heart disease -and the conditions associated with it - are the leading health concerns for both men and women today. Heart health awareness is one of the best ways to protect yourself and take whatever steps are necessary to ensure your good health for years to come. If you get a yearly mammogram, if you would never skip a Pap smear, then you owe it to your yourself to give your heart the same level of attention and care.

The free guides are part of CardioSmart.com, a nationwide online program developed by the American College of Cardiology to help reduce the risk of heart disease and help those afflicted live longer and better lives. In addition to the 5 survival guides you’ll find a cache of valuble free information and tools that can make a huge difference in your life. To those with loved ones afflicted by heart disease, CardioSmart can help you to better understand their health concerns and problems and help you to help them in all areas of their life and health care.

To download your FREE CardioSmart guides CLICK HERE

Originally Printed by Examiner.com.
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For the latest health, beauty and style advice for women over 40 subscribe to RedDressDiary - It's Free! And be sure to check out CheapChicDiary.com for money saving beauty and style tips! Copyright by ElleMedia Network 2010 - All Rights Reserved. In addition to US Copyright, the text of this RedDressDiary article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License. All formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license, and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements.

Exercising outdoors may be most beneficial to health!

By Colette Bouchez

If you want to get the most benefits from your exercise time, do it outdoors. That’s the suggestion of a new study just published in the leading research journal Environmental Science and Technology – and the latest piece of evidence in support of the new concept of “Green Workouts”.

According to a team of researchers from the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry , the mental benefits of exercise – as well as the desire to keep up with your exercise program - are amplified when you exercise outdoors.

Dr. Jo Thompson-Coon, PenCLAHRC Research Fellow, commented: "The hypothesis that there are added beneficial effects to be gained from exercising in the natural environment is very appealing and has generated considerable interest. By using the data currently available to us we have added strength to the link between mental and physical well-being and outdoor exercise, but further research and longer, tailor-made and focused trials are needed to better understand this link."

To arrive at their conclusion the Peninsula researchers, in collaboration with the European Centre for the Environment and Human Health, analyzed data from 11 different studies comparing the results of over 800 adults who exercised outdoors to those who worked out in doors .

The result: Those who exercised outdoors saw considerable improvement in mental well being compared to those who worked out inside. Moreover, exercising in a natural outdoor environment was associated with greater feelings of revitalization, increased energy and positive engagement. The outdoor exercisers also reported a greater decrease in tension, as well as a greater decrease in feelings of anger and depression.

To read more on this fascinating study and the new concept of Green Gyms, click here.

For the latest health, beauty and style advice for women over 40 subscribe to RedDressDiary - It's Free! And be sure to check out CheapChicDiary.com for money saving beauty and style tips! Copyright by Colette Bouchez 2011 - All Rights Reserved. Reprinted courtesy of Examiner.com

Pass It On: You Can Save A Life!

 Share this short, wonderful, funny, but important video with the women who you just can't imagine life without!   And for me, that means all of you!

Heart disease kills more women each year than all forms of cancer combined - and it is reaching epidemic proportions.  And you can make a difference - not just with your research dollars, but by spreading awareness about symptoms and treatments - and in doing so help protect the women in your life that you love.  Visit http://www.goredforwomen.org/ to learn more - and find a free email service to tell 5 of the women you really love, that you really love them a lot!

For the latest health, beauty and style advice for women over 40 subscribe to RedDressDiary - It's Free! And be sure to check out CheapChicDiary.com for money saving beauty and style tips!

Copyright by ElleMedia Network 2011 - All Rights Reserved. In addition to US Copyright, the text of this RedDressDiary article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License. All formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license, and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements. The creators and contributors to this blog may or may not benefit from the products, services and information mentioned herein.

Breast Cancer: Study Says Timing of HRT May Reduce Risks

The HRT debate continues with new evidence showing that when in your natural life cycle you begin hormone therapy could make all the difference  in terms of it’s safety. Here’s what every woman must know…

By Colette Bouchez

Could the number of years that pass between the start of menopause and the start of hormone therapy influence your risk of breast cancer? That’s the intriguing question posed by a new study, published  this weekend in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Here, researchers from  England’s Oxford University examined epidemiologic data from over 1 million women,  with the idea of calculating  the risk of breast cancer in relation to the menopausal time frame during which these  women began hormone therapy.

What the study found: Women who started hormone therapy five years or more after menopause, had little or no increased risk of breast cancer, regardless of the type of hormone therapy used , how long they used it, or whether or not they were overweight or even obese – both contributing risk factors to breast cancer. 

By comparison, women who started hormone therapy just before, or soon after menopause began, were at greater overall risk for developing breast cancer.

“A new finding of this study, which has been little investigated previously, is that the interval between menopause and starting hormonal therapy has a substantial effect on breast cancer risk,” says lead study author Valerie Beral, FRS.

According to breast cancer specialist Julia A. Smith, MD, PhD, the study provides us with an important piece of the breast cancer risk factor puzzle.

“Large epidemiological studies like this one don’t  necessarily give us answers, but they do help us understand where to look  for answers – and this study has done that by reiterating  the importance of timing in the relationship between hormones and  breast cancer ,” says Smith, director of the NYU Cancer Institute Breast Cancer Screening and Prevention Program and the director of the Lynne Cohen Cancer Screening and Prevention Clinic for High Risk Women at Bellevue Hospital Center, and Breast Cancer Preventive Care Program at the NYU Clinical Cancer Center.

Indeed, Smith says that while we have long known that hormones definitely play some  role in breast cancer, it’s in the understanding of how they interplay with many other factors in our life and our health that will ultimately give us the kind of information that we need to nail down each individual woman’s risk profile.

“What’s been clear is that there is a delicate and intricate interplay between all the sex hormones and the risk of breast cancer – so much so that I don’t believe we will ever find a single correlation that is the answer for all women;  and this is why timing of hormone treatment has come to light as such an important issue – it gives us one more very important piece of the personal risk factor puzzle,” says Smith.

More study specifics

To arrive at their conclusions, the researchers looked at the health records of some 1,129,000 women in relation to their use of hormones and their relative risk of breast cancer.  They  compared  women who did not use hormones, to those who did, and most importantly, calculated the timing  at which hormone use began in relation to the start of menopause.  They also looked at various types of hormone therapy, including estrogen only and estrogen/progestin combinations.

What they found:  After adjusting for other contributing risk factors (such as family history) the researchers found that the relative risk for breast cancer was higher among those women who had begun hormonal therapy during the perimenopause ( the time leading up to menopause) or soon after menopause began, than it was for women who waited 5 years or more to start hormone therapy.  This held true both for women using estrogen –only formulations, or for those using combination hormone therapies.

How great was the increased risk?  In women who did not use hormone therapy the risk of breast cancer was approximately .30 % while the risk among hormone users was as high as .61% in those who started hormone therapy either before or within the first 5 years of menopause.  The risk for those who began hormone therapy 5 years or more after menopause was almost equal to those who never used hormones.

The question that now remains, however, is why the timing of hormone therapy  appears to have such a crucial impact. Smith believes it may be linked to the logic of not interfering with natural body changes while those changes are taking place.

“Giving a woman hormones at the start of menopause – a time when her body is not just experiencing  a loss of estrogen and progesterone, but a decrease in many different hormones – may cause the kind of imbalance that ultimately increases her risk of  not just breast cancer, but possibly other hormone related cancers,” says Smith.

“We need to ask ourselves how much do we really need to interfere with the body’s natural processes at a time when those processes are changing,” she adds.

Indeed, we have learned in the past that young women in early puberty, whose breasts are undergoing development, are at greatest risk for the ill effects of  chemical pollutants tied to breast cancer.  Similarly, it may be that when a woman’s body is undergoing similar kinds of hormonal shifts on the other end of the age spectrum, her breast cells may also be more susceptible to influence from outside factors, including hormone use.

“There are enormous  complexities and so much we do not yet understand – but one key thing that is coming to light is that the timing of when  in our natural life cycle we choose to supplement  natural losses may  play a critical role in the outcome,  or the effects of what we are supplementing,” says Smith.

In an editorial that accompanied the study, Rowan T. Chlebowski, M.D., Ph.D., of Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and Garnet Anderson from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center noted that the new research is critical since it  provides substantial support for similar findings from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) – a massive study of more than 1 million US women.   He also added that the similarities between the patterns of breast cancer risk in both large groups of women increases the validity of both sets of results.  This is particularly important in light of the fact that both groups of researchers used different methods of calculation, yet arrived at similar conclusions.

For the latest health, beauty and style advice for women over 40 subscribe to RedDressDiary - It's Free! And be sure to check out CheapChicDiary.com for money saving beauty and style tips! Originally published in the Examiner.com -Copyright 2011 ColetteBouchez  All Rights Reserved

The owners or contributors to this blog may or may not benefit from the products and information featured herein.

Want To Lose Weight? Turn Down The Heat!

A new study shows that keeping your thermostat too high in winter could be keeping you from losing weight!  Here’s what you need to know!

By Colette Bouchez

Could losing weight be as easy as turning down your thermostat? It could be, at least according to a new study just published in the journal Obesity Reviews.

Here, researchers from the University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories in England offer important new evidence that reduced exposure to cold temperatures may impact the body’s ability to maintain a healthy weight.

"Research into the environmental drivers behind obesity, rather than the genetic ones, has tended to focus on diet and exercise – which are undoubtedly the major contributors. However, it is possible that other environmental factors, such as winter indoor temperatures, may also have a contributing role. This research therefore raises the possibility for new public health strategies to address the obesity epidemic." says lead author Dr. Fiona Johnson, of UCL Epidemiology & Public Health.

Indeed, the study points out that as the average indoor temperatures in both the US and the UK have been steadily increasing, that rise correlates just a little too well with the rising rate of obesity.

But it’s not just pure observation driving the research. Indeed, experts say there is some solid science behind the idea that temperature affects our metabolism – and that in turn affects our ability to control our weight.

How does it work? Research suggests that that exposure to seasonal cold helps keep our metabolism running at a faster, higher rate than it normally does when the body is warm and comfy. And this, say experts, means calories burn more quickly and easily.

Brown Fat Vs White Fat: How You Lose Weight

Perhaps even more important, however, the study authors point out that exposure to colder temperatures may change our ratio of brown fat to white fat – a factor that could make a difference how much overall fat we maintain. Indeed, brown fat differs from white fat in that it has the ability to be burned in order to create body heat. And in fact the body stores brown fat to have as a ready supply of energy.

However, recent studies suggest that increased time spent in warm conditions may mean the body maintains less brown fat – and that means we lose some of our ability to burn calories. The end result: We can gain weight even if we aren’t eating more.

Study co-author Marcella Ucci, UCL Bartlett School of Graduate Studies, says: "The findings suggest that lower winter temperatures in buildings might contribute to tackling obesity as well reducing carbon emissions."

The idea that cold may induce weight loss is not entirely new. In fact, former NASA scientist and entrepreneur Ray Cronise researched the impact of temperature on weight in astronauts and found that being a bit on the chilly side does indeed speed up metabolism, making it easier to burn calories.

Moreover, he says you don’t have to freeze and shiver in order to see the effects. Reportedly his research found that regularly exposing your body to 60 degree temperatures may give your metabolism enough of a boost to impact your ability to lose weight.

Tim Ferriss, author of the The 4 Hour Body is another proponent of what he calls “thermal dieting” – the use of temperature to control metabolism. He recently told ABC News “If you make it cold, the body will do everything it can to get back to 98.6. And it has to burn calories to do that -- heat equals calories."

A Word of Caution

While exposing yourself to colder temperatures may help you lose weight, it’s important to remember that some health conditions – particularly those caused by heart disease – can be exacerbated by extreme temperature changes, particularly sudden exposure to cold. In some people, exposure to cold temperatures may even cause a heart rhythm abnormality that could be fatal.

That said, if you want to turn down the thermostat a notch or two, it probably won’t harm you – and it might just help you to lose an extra pound or two. And oh yeah, your heating bills will be lower too!

Reprinted with permission from  Examiner.com

For the latest health, beauty and style advice for women over 40 subscribe to RedDressDiary - It's Free! And be sure to check out CheapChicDiary.com for money saving beauty and style tips! 

Cervical Cancer: Good Nutrition, Regular Screenings & Safe Sex Can Protect You

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month – and it packs a powerful message no woman can afford to ignore. Here’s what you need to know …

By Colette Bouchez

As we spin head first into a brand new year – and a brand new list of resolutions we’re eager to tackle- it’s easy to let some of life’s more mundane tasks slip by - especially health screenings.

Which is one reason why health awareness months can serve such a strong and powerful purpose: They remind us of the importance of taking care of our health and move us in the direction of preventive care.

If you’re a woman, never is this more true than it is right now during January, the month dedicated to cervical cancer awareness - a disease which, while it affects some 12,00 women a year, can be prevented!

Indeed, with the help of 2 important cervical cancer screening tools – the Pap smear (which looks for abnormal cells within the cervix) and the HPV test ( which detects the human papillomavirus, the leading cause of cervical cancer ) your doctor has the power to not just detect this disease at its earliest, most easily treated stages, but in many instances detect the kind of pre-cancerous cell changes that, once treated, can stop this disease from ever occurring.

Cervical Cancer: What You Should Know

Though it has a specific name, your cervix is actually the lower portion of your uterus. Here, the tissue is lined with a layer of cells that develop, grow and die, and are replaced by new cells, in a cycle that lasts anywhere from 7 to 14 days. The continuing turnover of these cells is one factor that determines cervical health

When, however, due to any number of health challenges these cells come under attack - including infection with the HPV virus - that normal life cycle becomes disrupted. Cells don’t die as they should, and as a result they begin to build up, causing the lining of your cervix to thicken and change in both shape and form. This cell “overgrowth” is known as “dysplasia” – a condition said to affect between 250,000 and 1 million women a year.

Fortunately, for some women dysplasia – even that caused by HPV - can revert to normal on its own. When your immune system is strong, and you are healthy, you simply overcome the HPV virus – or whatever factor is causing the cell build-up - and the dysplasia stops.

For a significant number of women, however, this isn’t the case. For these women, the HPV, if present, does not go away, and the dysplasia – regardless of the cause – continues to worsen. Eventually, if not stopped, these cell changes lead to the development of cervical cancer, which can progress at an alarmingly fast rate.

Unfortunately, the treatment for late stage cervical cancer involves removing not just the cervix, but the entire uterus and usually the ovaries , which is often followed by either chemotherapy, radiation or a combination of both.

The Good News:  Studies show that if  you catch those cervical cell changes early on,  not only can the dysplasia be treated but in doing so the cancer can be prevented. If early cancer is detected, treatment is equally successful.

Treatments for dysplasia or early cervical cancer can include either electro cauterization or laser vaporization (both work to burn away or vaporize the pre-cancer or early stage cancer cells.)  Other treatments also include  the Leep procedure (which uses electrical current passed through thin wire loop to remove the abnormal tissue) or a “cone” biopsy (which removes a wedge shaped piece of the cervix containing the bad cells). 

Preventing Cervical Cancer: What Else You Can Do

While having regular Pap smears and tests for HPV are two ways to protect your fertility, since the HPV virus is sexually transmitted, if you are not in a monogamous relationship (or your partner is not monogamous) you might also want to consider the protection of Gardasil – the first and only vaccine shown to protect against HPV. Although when it first appeared on the scene Gardisil was recommended only for young women, today it is also being recommended for any sexually active middle aged women as well.

Although the vaccine has been the subject of some controversy – with some women having experienced life –threatening and life-changing side effects – to date the vast majority of who have had the Gardasil vaccine appear to suffer no serious side effects or lasting problems.

If, however, you don’t want to get the vaccine, then practicing safe sex is a must – and using condoms is essential.

Perhaps most important to remember is that good nutrition can also make an important preventive difference in protecting against both cervical cancer and the effects of HPV . And there are a number of key vitamins that can help  protect against the cell changes that lead to dysplasia – or in some instances even reverse dysplasia once it begins.

Among the most important are Vitamins C, E, and beta carotene ( vitamin A) , plus other carotenoids found in fruits and vegetables such as carrots, apricots, squash and cantaloupe.

What do all these nutrients have in common?  They are  all antioxidants, natural chemicals which enhance immune system function. And according to experts this could hold the key to protecting cervical cells from undergoing unhealthy changes.

How Vitamins Can Protect You From Cancer

Indeed, in a study at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, researchers found that women who had cervical dysplasia routinely had lower blood levels of both beta carotene and vitamin E when compared to healthy women. Moreover, there was also a direct correlation between the amounts of beta-carotene and vitamin E in the blood, and the stage of cervical abnormality – with the more advanced cases having the more significant nutrient deficiencies.

Likewise, a previous study also conducted at Albert Einstein, found that women who consumed less than 30 mg of vitamin C daily were 10 times more likely to develop cervical dysplasia than women who consumed more.

In studies elsewhere, doctors showed that topically applying vitamin A directly into the cervix was able to reverse cell changes associated with dysplasia in up to 50% of women

Still another key nutrient is folic acid or vitamin B9. How can this help? As you read earlier, cells lining the cervix renew themselves every 7 to 14 days – and in the process continually form new DNA.   When the body is short on folic acid,  studies show that abnormalities in DNA formation can occur – and that can mean a higher risk of dysplasia.

Conversely, keep your folic acid levels high – at least 400 mcg per day – and you may keep your DNA production humming along in a normal and healthy fashion.

So, along with regular screenings, practicing safe sex, and the addition of these nutrients to your diet, you not only have the power to reduce your risk of cervical cancer, but maybe even eliminate that risk entirely.  And that’s the kind of awareness that can make a real difference in your life!

Copyright by Colette Bouchez 2011 - All Rights Reserved. In addition to US Copyright, the text of this FERTILITY BLOG is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. All Formatting and style elements of this page are not available under this license and Colette Bouchez retains all rights in those elements. The owners and contributors to this blog may or may not benefit from the products, services or treatments mentioned herein.