Your health: Which sunscreen works best?
Which sunscreen works the best?
Consumer Reports recently issued its annual sunscreen rankings. The consumer magazine ranked Coppertone Water Babies and Walmart's Equate SPF 50 highest for lotions in terms of price and protection from UV rays; for sprays, Bull Frog WaterArmor Sport and Target's Up & Up took the top rating.
New research may provide a little extra motivation to use sunscreen.
Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital's Channing Lab examined survey data from more than 100,000 nurses and found that those who had at least five blistering sunburns when they were 15 to 20 years old had a 68 percent increased risk for common skin cancers like basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas and an 80 percent increased risk of the deadlier melanoma by the time they reached middle age, The Boston Globe reports.
"Sudden large amounts of sun exposure that cause major damage to the skin increased the risk of melanoma as much as having a family history," said study co-author Dr. Abrar Qureshi, chair of dermatology at Brown University's Warren Alpert Medical School.
Some low-fat foods still high in calories
If you're trying to lose weight to look better in that bikini this summer, choosing low-fat foods may not always be the best way to cut calories.
A new study found that while most low-fat supermarket products contain a third fewer calories than their regular fat version, 10 percent actually have more or the same calories, mainly due to added sugars, the Daily Mail reports.
Obesity specialist Dr. Matthew Capehorn said weight-conscious shoppers should realize that choosing low-fat products made by brands including Weight Watchers could hamper their efforts to cut calories.
The study by the Rotherham Institute for Obesity, where Dr Capehorn is clinical director, found that Weight Watchers wholemeal thick slice bread had more calories than other regular fat equivalents. It also found that Asda natural low-fat yogurt had more calories than Asda natural yogurt and Birdseye light and crunchy breaded chicken had more calories than Birdseye crispy chicken.
Appropriate food choices require carefully reading nutritional information on the food labels, Capehorn said.
Often, extra sugar was added to boost the taste of the lower-fat foods.