Your New Winter Skin Care Routine – Invite Health Podcast, Episode 26
In the winter your skin turns dry, flaky, dull and itchy. Change up your winter skin routine when colder weather strikes and these steps will earn you a rich winter glow!
Tag: skin
All About Hydrolyzed Collagen – Invite Health Podcast, Episode 23
On today’s episode, Amanda Williams, MPH provides information about one of the most popular proteins and supplements, Collagen and why Hydrolyzed Collagen is best to supplement with.
Why Beta-Blockers Can Cause Skin Inflammation and Nutrient Depletions
Photo by @freepik
Often used to treat high blood pressure and other cardiovascular conditions, beta-blockers are medications that help to block the effects of the hormone epinephrine, also known as adrenaline. This causes your heart to beat more slowly and with less force in order to lower your blood pressure. Beta-blockers also help to improve blood flow through your veins and arteries.
But beta-blockers have been shown to often trigger or exacerbate psoriasis. A new study from scientists at the University of Bonn and Freie Universität Berlin have found a possible cause for this.
According to the study, it appears that beta-blockers can interfere with the breakdown of defective cell components. “In return, the cells release messengers that trigger immune-mediated inflammatory reactions.”
The Study
The scientists studied an active substance called propranolol and found that the inflammatory side effects are probably due to a combination of two factors: “Propranolol is both fat-soluble and slightly alkaline,” explains Prof. Dr. Günther Weindl from the Pharmaceutical Institute at the University of Bonn.
It’s fat-soluable property enables it to cross biomembranes – thin, fat-like membranes that enclose the cell. Its alkalinity ensures that propranolol becomes positively charged in an acidic environment, meaning the substance can no longer return through the membrane.
This is problematic, as the cells use bubbles from the biomembrane as a ‘recycling bag’, removing defective proteins and decomposing enzymes which break down and release the individual building blocks back into the cell, acting as a natural recycling plant. But because the enzymes can only do their work in this ‘perfect recycling, slightly acidic’ environment, when a propranolol molecule randomly finds its way through the membrane into the “bag”, it is positively charged and trapped. This causes it to accumulate and disrupts the processes in the cell. As a result, according to scientists, it “releases inflammatory messengers, in particular the so-called interleukin-23, which is mainly secreted by immune cells. The consequence are the observed skin problems.”
The researchers now hope to further investigate how exactly these processes are related at molecular level.
Nutrient Depletions Caused By Beta-Blockers
Jerry Hickey, Ph. Scientific Director and Pharmacist at Invite Health has developed a Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion Chart to better help you understand what depletions are happening in your body when you are on a prescription drug.
According to this chart (which can be found by clicking here), beta-blocking drugs including Atenolol, Corgard, Lopressor, Tenormin, Toprol XL, and Metoprolol may deplete Coenzyme Q10, Chromium and/or Melatonin. Here’s why –
Beta-blockers have been shown in numerous studies to block the production of Coenzyme Q10 in the liver. “In just a year’s time, this can result in an over 40% in reduction in serum and cellular levels of CoQ10, which may further result in fatigue, weakened muscles, lethargy, and overall lack of energy.”†
Chromium is a mineral that has been shown to support healthy metabolism and blood sugar already within a normal range. When on a beta-blocker, taking this mineral may offset the drop in HDL, shown in a early study performed by the School of Public Health. The study showed, two months of chromium supplementation resulting in a “clinically useful increase in HDL cholesterol levels in men taking beta-blockers.”†
Melatonin helps to mediate your circadian rhythm, or more commonly known as your ‘Sleep/Wake cycle”. It is produced in the pineal gland mainly at night but beta-blockers can cause sleep disturbances, which impact this cycle. Findings from the Department of Medicine’s study on the influence of beta-blockers on melatonin release indicate that “beta-blockers decrease melatonin release.” This can impact your quality of sleep, your mood, and even your immune system.†
Speak with a certified healthcare professional like an Invite Health Nutritionist today to figure out the best supplement routine for your needs. Questions about the link between beta-blockers and skin conditions? Do you need help understanding what nutrient depletions you may have? Leave us a comment below.
Resources
University of Bonn. “Why beta-blockers cause skin inflammation: Possible cause of a known phenomenon.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 November 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191107122632.htm>.
Lukasik, Robert J., DCN, FACACN. “Statin, Beta-blocker, Diuretic Drug Induced Coenzyme Q10 Deficiency. <https://www.rejuvenation-science.com/coq10-depletion>
School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina. “Effects of chromium supplementation on serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in men taking beta-blockers. A randomized, controlled trial.” US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, 1991. <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1683196>
Celebrating National Healthy Skin Month With The 6 Products You Need This Season
The fall brings dry, tight skin and brittle hair. Here are 6 products that can help take your dry, tight skin to the next level as we celebrate healthy skin month.
The Foods You Should Be Eating For Glowing, Healthy Skin
What if we told you that healthy, glowing skin actually comes from within? Here are 9 superfoods that can support healthy, young looking skin.
New Study: High Levels of Salt May Cause of Allergic Immune Reactions, Like Eczema
Nearly one in three people are affected by allergies at some point throughout their lives. And nearly one in ten children suffer from atopic dermatitis, also commonly known as eczema. A new study from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) reports that the cause could be salt. Here’s what you need to know.
Why Salt is Essential to Our Bodies
Table salt, scientifically known as sodium chloride, is essential to the health of humans and animals. According to Harvard Health, salt is needed to transmit nerve impulses, contract and relax muscle fibers and maintain proper fluid balance. But many also know that salt can be harmful for our bodies.
Harvard Health continues, “When sodium is in short supply, a host of chemical and hormonal messages signal the kidneys and sweat glands to hold onto water and conserve sodium. When you get more sodium than you need, the kidneys flush out the excess by making more, or saltier, urine. If they can’t get rid of enough sodium, though, it accumulates in the fluid between cells. Water inevitably follows sodium, and as the volume of this fluid increases, so does the volume of blood. This means more work for the heart and more pressure on blood vessels. Over time, this can stiffen blood vessels, leading to high blood pressure, heart attack, or stroke. It can also lead to heart failure.”
What are T-Cells?
T-Cells are types of white blood cells that play an essential role in our immune system. Simply, they are soldiers who seek out and destroy invaders – or allergens – that can cause harm to our bodies. However, if uncontrolled, these T-cells can also develop pathological responses and start attacking parts of our bodies. When this occurs, certain T-cells can cause inflammatory skin conditions, like eczema, as there is an increase in the production of certain harmful proteins (interleukin 4 (IL-4) and interleukin 13 (IL-13)).
The Link Between Salt and Eczema
Christina Zielinski, a DZIF-professor at TUM’s Institute of Virology, and her team were able to demonstrate that sodium chloride can also induce a state in human T cells that causes them to produce increased amounts of the proteins IL-4 and IL-13. Types of T-cells, which should not cause allergies, can, in the presence of salt, turn into Th2 cells. The changes are reversed when the T-cell is again exposed to lower salt levels.
Her team investigated whether the affected skin regions of atopic dermatitis patients exhibit elevated sodium levels. The sodium levels in the affected skin areas of patients suffering from atopic dermatitis proved to be up to 30 times higher than in healthy skin.
Source:
Technical University of Munich (TUM). “Salt could be a key factor in allergic immune reactions: Atopic dermatitis: Elevated salt concentrations in affected skin.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 February 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190220145044.htm>.