New research from the University of California, Riverside, has found that applying insulin directly to wounds of the skin significantly enhances the natural healing process.
Insulin is most well known for its capacity to regulate blood sugar levels, but it now also appears to play a role in improved wound healing.
Wounds treated with insulin healed faster than those which remained untreated.
The mechanism is thought to be regulated by keratinocytes, which are stimulated by insulin.
It is also related to the fact that people with diabetes (who generally have low insulin) also experience poor wound healing.
This finding may have important benefits for the American health care system, which expends significant resources to treat non-healing or chronic wounds.
While it helps reduce health care costs, insulin can also improve healing and quality of life for diabetes patients and others with chronic skin wounds.
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A new study outlines the benefits of tea extracts on skin damage after radiation therapy for cancer.
In this study, researchers found that duration of skin toxicity following radiotherapy decreased by 5 to 10 days after treatment of the skin with tea extracts.
Tea extracts are thought to reduce inflammation. Green tea extracts were more effective than black tea extracts for some patients. Tea extracts reduce the release of inflammatory cytokines.
In humans, green tea extracts worked better than black tea to reduce inflammation.
Researchers believe it is the polyphenols in tea which are most responsible for tea’s anti-inflammatory properties.
This is good news for those undergoing radiation therapy, as treatment with tea extracts can reduce healing time by many days.
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Austrian researchers recently reported that Caucasian marathon runners may have a greater risk of skin cancer due to prolonged sun exposure while running.
This risk seemed to increase with the number of miles run each week.
Those marathoners who ran more than 43.5 miles per week had the highest rates of skin cancer.
Only 56 percent of the runners in this study reported wearing sunscreen regularly.
It’s a good idea to wear the right clothing and to wear sunscreen.
Runners can reduce their risk of developing skin cancer by running in the morning or evening hours, and wearing water-proof sunscreen. Running clothing made with ultraviolet protection can also help.
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