Tag Archives: men

Win a £150 Farah menswear gift voucher – now closed!

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As Christmas is fast approaching, you may be wondering what to buy your loved one. So if you don’t fancy braving the high street to find the ideal present for your partner, brother or son, do not despair – ElixirNews has teamed up with leading men’s retailer Farah to offer you the chance to win a £150 voucher to spend online.
Farah

Established in 1910, Farah are the purveyors of comfortable fits and timeless design, making them the perfect go-to brand for stylish pieces that won’t go out of fashion. Their flagship ‘Classic’ collection takes inspiration from the brand’s long history, with an array of hard-wearing work trousers and utilitarian-inspired outerwear to suit any age. With garments ranging from polo shirts and cardigans to jeans and chinos, rest assured that there will be something for every gent on their jam-packed website. Farah Classic Logo

With free standard delivery over £50, now is the perfect time to spoil the man in your life. For further information on the Farah Classic collection please visit http://www.farah.co.uk/classic

THE WINNER OF THIS COMPETITION WAS MICHELLE DAGGER OF BLACKBURN, LANCS.

For your chance to win the voucher, just answer the question below:

Terms and Conditions
The Farah competition will run until 1December 2014 and all entries must be submitted within this time. To enter, follow the link and complete the form with your answer and details. The winner will be determined by the editor within 24 hours of the end date and will be contacted via email. The prize consists of one £150 Farah voucher, to be redeemed online on the Farah website only. No cash alternative is available.

This competition is open only to residents of the UK aged 18 years or over. Employees of Farah, their families or anyone else associated with this competition or its operation are not allowed to enter. For full Farah Terms and Conditions, visit their website.

Winners acknowledge that the Official Sponsor and all other businesses affiliated with this Sweepstakes and their agents do not make, nor are in any manner responsible for any warranty, representations, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, relative the quality, conditions, fitness or merchantability of any aspect of the prize being offered, except that each merchandise prize shall be subject to its manufacturer’s standard warranty (if any).

Scientists create human sperm

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Newcastle: British scientists created human sperm from stem cells for the first time in a bid to better understand the causes of male infertility.

The researchers, led by Karim Nayernia from Newcastle University, developed a technique to turn stem cells with male chromosomes from human embryos into reproductive cells, known as germline, and prompt them to divide, they said in a study published in the journal Stem Cells and Development today. The divided cells produced functional sperm, the scientists said.

The new technique “will allow researchers to study in detail how sperm forms and lead to a better understanding of infertility in men,” Professor Nayernia said in a statement released with the study. “This understanding could help us develop new ways to help couples suffering infertility so they can have a child which is genetically their own.”

The research may also help scientists understand how genetic diseases are passed on, according to the statement.

The lab-created sperm won’t be used for “fertilization of human eggs and implantation of embryos,” the researchers said. “While we can understand that some people may have concerns, this does not mean that humans can be produced ‘in a dish’ and we have no intention of doing this,” they wrote.

Stem cells, which have the power to become any type of cell in the body, are controversial when research involves human embryos, which are killed when the cells are harvested.

In another medical journal last week, more than 40 scientists, bio-ethicists, lawyers and science journal editors called on their colleagues and policy makers to develop guidelines for the research and reproductive use of stem cell- derived eggs and sperm.

Vitamin C deficiency linked to gout in men

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London: Men with a higher vitamin C intake seem to be less likely to develop gout, according to a report in the March 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Researchers working in British Columbia, Vancouver, examined the relationship between vitamin C intake and gout between 1986 and 2006 in 46,994 men. Every two years, participants reported whether they had been diagnosed with gout, or had developed symptoms of the condition.

During 20 years of follow-up, 1,317 men developed gout. Compared with men who had a vitamin C intake of less than 250 milligrams per day, the relative risk of gout was 17 percent lower for those with a daily intake of 500 to 999 milligrams, 34 percent lower for those with an intake of 1,000 to 1,499 milligrams per day and 45 percent lower for those with an intake of 1,500 milligrams per day or higher. For every 500-milligram increase in their vitamin C intake, the men’s risk for gout appeared to decrease by 17 percent. Compared with men who did not take vitamin C supplements, those who took 1,000 to 1,499 supplemental milligrams per day had a 34 percent lower risk of gout and those who took 1,500 supplemental milligrams per day had a 45 percent lower risk.

Commenting on the study, Dr Ruxton, scientific advisor to the Health Supplements Information Service notes: “Gout is caused by a build-up of uric acid in the blood and vitamin C appears to reduce the levels of uric acid in the blood. When uric acid builds up, it can form crystal deposits in and around the joints, which is what causes the pain and inflammation typical of the condition. In their paper, the researchers suggest that vitamin C might affect the reabsorption of uric acid by the kidneys, increase the speed at which the kidneys work, or protect against inflammation; all of which can reduce the risk of gout.

“Given the general safety profile associated with vitamin C, a high intake of vitamin C may provide one useful option in helping to prevent gout.”

The Health Supplements Information Service: The Health Supplements Information Service is supported by a restricted educational grant from the Proprietary Association of Great Britain (PAGB). HSIS has been created to provide media with impartial information regarding the health benefits of vitamins and minerals. Experts advising the service include nutritionists; dieticians and doctors. For further information please call 020 7052 8955.

FACT: Gout, a condition that results in acute attacks of arthritis in the joints, is becoming more common. A recent report suggested that, in the UK, it had increased by about 17 percent between 2007 and 2008. Traditionally, gout has most commonly developed in middle aged and older people – mostly men – but the condition is now being seen in younger people and also more frequently in women. The reasons for this increase are unclear but it may be linked with dietary change and obesity seems to increase the risk of gout.

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Note: The reference nutrient intake for vitamin C is 40mg/d for men

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Healthy lifestyle boosts anti-ageing enzyme

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Los Angeles: A healthy diet, taking regular exercise and relaxing can boost levels of a longevity enzyme, say scientists.

In a new study scientists measured levels of the telomerase enzyme in men who were required to make positive lifestyle changes. The men were suffering from low-risk prostate cancer.

The patients ate a diet low in sugar and fats and rich in whole foods, fruits and vegetables. They were also required to walk at least 30 minutes daily and take part in anti-stress exercises.

The researchers, whose report has appeared in the medical journal, The Lancet Oncology, measured the amount of the enzyme after three months. The results revealed that levels in the blood has increased by 29 per cent , along with a drop in LDL(bad) cholesterol.
The bottom line is that the enzyme helps support the length of telomeres – these are tiny protectors of the DNA and keep inflammation and other ageing activity away from them. The length of telomeres is an indicator of biological ageing.

As people age, their telomeres get shorter and they become more susceptible to certain illnesses which are associated with ageing.

Experts believe this process is at the heart of many age-related diseases, and may even place a final limit on human lifespan.

Professor Dean Ornish, of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute, Sausalito, California, who led the study, said increases in telomerase levels were beneficial and could be quickly changed.

He said: “To our knowledge, we have reported here the first longitudinal study showing that comprehensive lifestyle changes – or any intervention – are significantly associated with increases in cellular telomerase activity levels.

“The implications of this study are not limited to men with prostate cancer.Comprehensive lifestyle changes may cause improvements in telomerase and telomeres that may be beneficial to the general population as well.Larger studies are needed.”

ANDROPAUSE

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Scientists in prostate cancer breakthrough

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London: British scientists have created a new drug that can shrink prostate tumours in 80 per cent of cases, it was revealed today.

The drug, called abiraterone, was discovered by doctors at London’s Royal Marsden Hospita.

Prostate cancer,is a disease that is more prevelant over the age of 50,and as people live longer, the incidence is expected to increase.

There are two types of prostate cancer: aggressive and non-aggressive. In the latter, which accounts for about a third of all prostate cases, the disease is usually fatal within 18 months.

The disease can be treated using hormone therapy which blocks testosterone but in many cases the cancer becomes resistant and the only other alternative is chemotherapy which has many unpleasant side effects.These include nausea, pain and hairloss.

Royal Marsden lead researcher Dr Johann de Bono said the new drug required the patient to take just four pills a day.

It is hoped that the drug will be on sale for general use by 2011.

Scientists believe the technique could also be effective on other tumours, such as breast and bowel cancers.

Abiraterone works by blocking a key enzyme in the body which help in the production of the male hormones.

Patient trials at the Royal Marsden, home to Britain’s Institute of Cancer Research and Europe’s largest cancer research centre, which eventually came up with abiraterone revealed that it shrank the tumour in three quarters of patients.

Abiraterone is now being used in a 1,200-patient international study, including at ten sites across the UK. If it is licensed as expected in 2011.

Older women are happier than men

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London: UK scientists who questioned nearly 9,800 people over the age of 50 about their lives and found women were more optimistic than men.

Wealth also helps you live longer with the poorest people more than twice as likely to die at any given age than the richest, researchers at University College London discovered.

Report co-author Dr Elizabeth Breeze said that women could become happier as they get older as they no longer have to worry about looking after their families.
She said: “There is a difference between the way men and women view their quality of life and they are influenced by slightly different things.”

“Women are affected negatively by caring for someone else or if they are not in employment but if they see their children and family more they are positively affected.”

Examples might be actresses Meryl Streep, 59, Helen Mirren, 62, and Judi Dench, 72.

Last year, Mirren said: “A weird thing happens to male actors, especially movie stars, in my experience.

“They become grumpy old men. A young male actor feels that all the girls want him – he’s a star. As actors get older that sense of not being in control of their destiny grates on them and they get grumpy.”

Researchers interviewed people born before 1952 at two year intervals.

They found that the poorest fifth of the population were over twice as likely to have died by 2008 as those in the wealthiest fifth.

In some age groups, the difference was even greater with the poorest women between 60 and 74 six times more likely to have died than the richest women of the same age.

According to the study, you have more chance of living longer if you are married, educated to degree level and a professional.

Single people are twice as likely to die early as those who are married or living with a partner.

The study found that exercise increases life expectancy with the physically inactive twice as likely to die before those keeping fit.

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Alopecia

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A particular hairloss condition which usually results in total hairloss

Exercise does not suppress appetite in obese women

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New York: Researchers at the University of Michigan have found that exercise does not suppress appetite in obese women, as it does in lean women.

Katarina Borer, PhD, a University of Michigan researcher and lead author of the study said that this lack of appetite suppression may promote greater food intake after exercise in obese women.

“This information will help therapists and physicians understand the limitations of exercise in appetite control for weight loss in obese people,” she added.

Borer and her co-workers sought to better understand how changes in body fat level influence appetite and a hormone called leptin, which in animals curbs appetite when body fat increases.

When leptin levels rise, it supposedly shuts off appetite and motivates physical activity to burn calories. However, as obese people become fatter, their leptin levels rise, but they become resistant to the actions of this hormone.

“The hormone doesn’t do the job it’s supposed to do in lean people,” Borer said.

In research funded by the National Institutes of Health, Borer’s group studied 20 postmenopausal women: 10 lean and 10 obese women. The women ate three weight-maintenance meals a day while participating in three experiments on three separate days. During one experiment they did not exercise.

In the other two experiments the women exercised on a treadmill in the morning and the afternoon. They burned 500 calories each time, for a total of 1,000 calories a day.

These two experiments differed by exercise intensity. One involved walking at high intensity, or 80 percent of maximal effort, for 7.5 minutes, with 10-minute rest periods between 10 walking sessions. The other experiment was half as intense (40 percent of peak effort) and involved walking for 15 minutes and resting for 5 minutes.

Every hour and before each meal, subjects recorded their appetite level on a 10-point scale ranging from not at all hungry to extremely hungry. Blood samples were collected every 15 to 60 minutes for hormone measurements.

Obese women claimed they were less hungry than lean women before meals and reported no appetite suppression during exercise, Borer said.

As expected, obese women had much higher leptin levels than in lean women, study data showed.

But during intense exercise, obese women did not have reduced production of leptin, as lean women did. Only moderate-intensity exercise lowered leptin in obese women.

“Obesity interferes with leptin’s detection of exercise energy expenditure and with appetite suppression,” Borer said.

“Obese women perhaps need to consciously watch their calories because some of the hormonal satiety [fullness] signals don’t seem to work as well.”

Scientists discover new prostate cancer biomarkers

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London: Uk scientists have identified seven pieces of “rogue DNA” which could put men at increased risk of prostate cancer.

Theese genetic flaws are so common that it is thought every man has at least one.

Currently men are screened for higher than normal levels of a protein known as Prostate Specific Androgen (PSA) but the results are not always accurate.

The British researchers, whose work was funded by Cancer Research UK, are developing a genetic test , which will look for 12 flaws, but it may be more than three years before it is publically available. Lead researcher Dr Ros Eeles, of the Institute of Cancer Research in London,said the team’s discovery of the seven pieces of rogue DNA – the most prostate cancer ‘hotspots’ identified in a single study – could lead to the development of new drugs.

‘These exciting results will help us to more accurately calculate the of developing prostate cancer and may lead to the development of better targeted screening and treatment,’ she said.

Moderate daily exercise reduces death in men

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Washington: Brisk walking for just 30 minutes daily is enough to half the risk of premature death of men from all causes, according to new research.

The US-government-sponsored analysis — the largest such study ever — found that a regimen of brisk walking 30 minutes a day at least four to six days a week was enough to halve the risk of premature death from all causes.

“As you increase your ability to exercise — increase your fitness — you are decreasing in a step-wise fashion the risk of death,” said study author Peter Kokkinos, director of the exercise testing and research lab in the cardiology department of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

That conclusion applies more or less equally to white and black men, regardless of their prior history of cardiovascular disease. According to Kokkinos, that may be because the veterans in the study all received the same level of care, regardless of income.

This evened the playing field, he said, giving him “great confidence” in the results, which will be published in the Feb. 5 issue ofCirculationand were released online Jan. 22.

In the study, Kokkinos and his team reviewed information gathered by the VA from 15,660 black and white male patients treated either in Palo Alto, Calif., or in Washington, D.C.

The men ranged in age from 47 to 71 and had been referred to a VA medical facility for a clinically prescribed treadmill exercise test sometime between 1983 and 2006. All participants were asked to run until fatigued, at which point the researchers recorded the total amount of energy expended and oxygen consumed.

By tracking fatalities through June 2007, Kokkinos and his colleagues found that for both black and white men it was their fitness level, rather than their age, blood pressure or body-mass index, that was most strongly linked to their future risk for death.

The study proved that it takes relatively little exercise to achieve health benefits.

Men with low-testosterone suffer increase in bone fractures

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Sydney: Elderly men with low levels of testosterone are more than twice as likely to suffer bone fractures as those with higher amounts of the sex hormone, researchers in Australia found.

A study of men at least 60 years old found a quarter had testosterone deficiency linked to a two-fold increase in the risk of bone fractures caused by osteoporosis, according to researchers at Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research. The finding may enable doctors to identify susceptible elderly men and devise strategies to prevent bone fractures.

Osteoporosis, when bones thin and break easily, affects 10 million Americans and is generally considered a women’s disease. While women’s bones become fragile after menopause when they stop producing estrogen, men’s weaken at a later age and can cause just as much damage. In Australia, 30 percent of the 110,000 osteoporosis-induced fractures that occur each year are in men.

John Eisman, Professor Medicine at the University of New South Wales and director of Garvan’s bone and mineral programme said: “Osteoporosis in men is basically ignored. This is something that gives us more insight into why they might have problems, why they might be likely to fracture.”

In the US, for example, two million men have the disease and another 12 million are at risk for it, the National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates. Treating patients with osteoporosis medicines including Eli Lilly & Co.’s Evista and Forteo, Merck & Co.’s Fosamax and Procter & Gamble Co.’s Actonel may prevent fragility fractures if the disease is diagnosed early, previous studies have shown.

Each year, about 329,000 hip fractures occur in the U.S. About 20 percent of the people die within six to 12 months after breaking hips, according to a study published in November in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Men’s testosterone levels are usually about 300 to 1,000 nanograms per deciliter of blood, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. A quarter of men over 60 had levels of 294 nanograms or less in the Garvan study, which followed 609 men aged over 60 years between January 1989 and December 2005.

Even after adjusting for factors known to alter fracture risk, including age, weight, fracture history, smoking status and calcium intake, the risk of fracture was more than doubled in men with low testosterone compared with men with high levels of the hormone, according to the study. The results were published yesterday in the Archives of Internal Medicines.

“Men with lower testosterone might be getting a double whammy,” Eisman said. “Their bones are worse and their muscles are a bit weaker, both of which are likely then to contribute to their risk of fractures.”

While testosterone supplements may assist those deficient in the hormone, other treatments may also help, he said.

“Importantly, reducing alcohol consumption, avoiding smoking, maintaining an active lifestyle, getting sunlight exposure and eating a diet rich in calcium will also help to minimize risk,” Eisman said.

The research is part of the Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study, which started in 1989 and recruited all men and women 60 years or older living in Dubbo, a regional city of 32,000 predominantly white people in Australia’s New South Wales state.

Support Prostate Cancer Awareness Week

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Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer diagnosed in men in the UK – every hour at least one man dies from this disease.

It is a cause that has suffered from years of neglect, so plan NOW for Prostate Cancer Awareness Week, 10-16 March 2008 – it’s your chance to make a difference.

Prostate Cancer Awareness Week 2008 aims to raise the profile of prostate cancer among the public and in the media. Hundreds of individuals and groups across the UK will join forces to help raise awareness of prostate cancer and raise vital funds to improve research, information and support services for men and their families who are affected by this disease

An early diagnosis of prostate cancer could improve a man’s chances of finding a successful treatment, yet 90% of adults in the UK do not know what the prostate gland does and the crucial role it plays in a man’s sexual function.

About Prostate Cancer Awareness Week

Prostate Cancer Awareness Week is an annual health awareness campaign organised by The Prostate Cancer Charity.

Every year nearly 35,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United Kingdom and 10,000 men die from it.

African Caribbean men are three times more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than their white counterparts.

The Prostate Cancer Charity is striving for a world where lives are no longer limited by prostate cancer. The Charity is fighting prostate cancer on every front – through research, support, information and campaigning.

If you have any queries about prostate cancer call The Prostate Cancer Charity’s confidential helpline 0800 074 8383 which is staffed by specialist nurses and open from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday and Wednesdays from 7 – 9pm.

If you want to make a donation to The Prostate Cancer Charity call 0208 222 7622 or visit www.prostate-cancer.org.uk

For further information contact: Lilas Allen or Nikki Nagler on 020 8222 7653/7670. Out of hours contact: 0798 432 5001. Email: or Email Nicola.Nagler@prostate-cancer.org.uk

Men failing to seek medical treatment, says new survey

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London: A new survey1 reveals this week that the majority of UK men over 30 years old only visit their GPs only if they feel ill for more than a week.

The survey, conducted for pharma Pfizer, also suggested that visits to their doctor are infrequent for many, with 38 per cent saying they went to their doctor less frequently than once a year.

Men over the age of 55 are much more likely to visit their GP, with over a half attending at least once every six months. However, over 50 per cent of all men would go if their illness did not disappear in seven days, the survey reports.

1307 men in the UK aged over 30 were asked questions in the survey on habits surrounding health.

When asked to define what they would describe as embarrassing conditions, sexually transmitted diseases ranked first place, as defined by 73 per cent of men surveyed. Impotence, or erectile dysfunction, came a close second with 62 per cent reporting it an embarrassing condition, followed by 44 per cent who referenced piles (haemorrhoids).

Wives and partners appear to play an influential role in their loved ones’ health: around three quarters of men would talk to their partner if they had an embarrassing condition, according to the survey. Almost a quarter would go to their GP more often if their wife or partner told them to.

These findings were confirmed by Professor Ian Banks, President of the European Men’s Health Forum.

“It is well known that men attend their GP half as often as women, and that they probably delay seeing their doctor, particularly when they have an embarrassing medical condition,” he said. ”Men in particular should be reminded that buying medicines via the Internet without considering consultation is no substitute for an accurate diagnosis by a health care professional of what may be a serious, underlying medical condition.”

Some 30 per cent of men have consulted the Internet for help with an embarrassing condition, with 83 per cent still preferring to see their GP. Sixty four per cent have consulted the Internet for medical information; of those 77 per cent said they were likely to use the Internet to look for symptoms of illness; 66 per cent to search for advice; 44 per cent to look for medical research; and 43 per cent to search for drugs and medications.

According to Hitwise, the online intelligence service, the most searched for medical term on the internet during September 2007 was on erectile dysfunction medicine2.

Men over the age of 45 consider erectile dysfunction to be much less of an embarrassing condition than men in their thirties or early forties, with an average 56 per cent of older men believing so, compared with 69 per cent of under 45s.

Experts estimate that there are as many as 4 million men in the UK who suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED)3, and 2.3 million say they are ‘bothered’ by the condition4.

For those seeking help for erectile dysfunction problems, information and advice is available online at www.erectionadvice.co.uk. The website offers confidential and tailored advice on ED. More general health information for men is available from the Men’s Health Forum at www.malehealth.co.uk

Male cosmetic surgery grows in popularity

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London: A survey conducted on behalf of UK newspaper, the Sunday Telegraph, has found that 23 percent of men or one in four would have cosmetic surgery to improve their looks.

The survey of 1,000 British men was done by Opinion Health. Of those questioned, 46 percent admitted to poor eating habits, with most of their meals made up of junk food and pre-packaged meals. Forty percent has virtually no form of physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Over the last two years men in the UK have gone in increasing numbers for liposuction, and procedures for younger-looking features such as nose jobs and eyelid surgeries.

Men with higher levels of testosterone may live longer, suggests new research

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San Diego: Men with higher levels of the hormone testosterone may live longer, according to a new study.

Men with low testosterone levels tend to have fatter waists, high blood pressure and higher blood sugar levels, researchers found.

Those with high levels of the male sex hormone tended to have a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes in later life.

The study – the first of its kind to look at normal, relatively fit males – could lead to men with low levels taking supplements.

The survey followed the lives of 800 men aged over 51 since the 1970s. It found that those with low testosterone levels were a third more likely to die over an 18-year period than those with high testosterone levels.

The results cast doubt on the popular wisdom that the female hormone, oestrogen, is “good” for health in later life and testosterone is ‘bad’. According to the research team at the San Diego School of Medicine, the discrepancy could not be explained by pre-existing diseases such as diabetes or heart disease.

Dr Gail Laughlin, from the school’s Department of Family and Preventative Medicine, said: “We have followed these men for an average of 18 years and our study strongly suggests that the association between testosterone levels and death is not simply due to some acute illness. The study did show there may be an association between low testosterone levels and higher mortality.”

She cautioned that the study did not directly show that higher testosterone levels protected against diseases.

Testosterone declines slowly with age. However, there is a wide natural variation in the amount that different men produce.

The researchers said that besides tending to have larger waists and higher blood pressure, men low in testosterone had higher levels of inflammatory cytokines, proteins that contribute to the development of many diseases.

The San Diego School of Medicine is now considering trials of testosterone supplements to see if they have a preventative effect.

However, Dr Elizabeth Barrett-Connor, of the San Diego School of Medicine’s Division of Epidemiology, said the prospect of men popping testosterone pills to protect against diseases was a long way off.

She said: “We are very excited about these findings, which have important implications, but we are not ready to say that men should go out and get testosterone to prolong their lives.

She also said that low testosterone levels could be a by-product of obesity and suggested it may be possible to alter testosterone levels by lowering obesity.

Can humble carrot turn back the clock for ageing men?

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London: Ageing men should start munching carrots if they want to attract the opposite sex and turn back the clock.

According to new research by scientists at the universities of Glasgow and Exeter animals use the pigments in carrots to make themselves more colourful to attract mates.

Although many ageing men try to brighten themselves up by buying loud shirts, brightly coloured sports cars and motorbikes, and generally trying to make themselves more ‘interesting’.

Invariably, this fails miserably every time. So perhaps it’s worth taking a trip to your local green grocers to buy half a hundredweight of gnarled root vegetables?

Neurotic men likely to die earlier, says new US report

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Mellow men live longer, according to o new research from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana in the US.

“We found that neurotic men whose levels (of neurosis) dropped over time had a better chance at living longer,” said Dan Mroczek, an associate professor of child development and family studies at Purdue

“They seemed to recover from any damage high levels of the trait may have caused. On the flip side, neurotic men whose neuroticism increased over time died much sooner than their peers.”

Researchers defined a neurotic personality as “a person with the tendency to worry, feel excessive amounts of anxiety or depression and to react to stressful life events more negatively than people with low levels of the trait.”

While researchers tracked 1,663 men — more than 90 per cent of whom were white — for 12 years, Mroczek believes the results would be similar for women or other ethnicities.

“You can find the full range of personalities in any ethnic or gender group,” he said. “There are those who are laid-back and then there are those who worry, who react very poorly to stress, who are always on edge.” Mroczek suspects a contributing factor behind early death in neurotic men may be high levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. Later this year, he will study the link.

The study’s results will be published in the Psychological Science in late May.

Men worry as much as women about body shape

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London: Younger men in the UK are joining women in their dissastifaction over their body shop, says a new survey.

Just under half of blokes are embarrassed about the way they look, and six in 10 don’t believe they hold any sex appeal for women.

The biggest concern for men is the increasing size of their love handles, quickly followed by paranoia about having ‘man boobs’.

A quarter of men think they should be fitter, whilst 24 per cent of men in their thirties are already concerned about baldness and receding hair lines.

The poll of 3,500 men in their twenties and thirties, conducted by < ahref="http://www.holdbacktime.com">www.holdbacktime.com, revealed premature aging as another major worry.

One in five men are very concerned about looking old before their time – and the same percentage have already considered plastic surgery in a bid to maintain youthful good looks.

Having a bad diet concerns most men, although a quarter are happy to leave decisions about what they eat to their partner.

Getting a double chin, wrinkles or a sagging bottom are all common worries amongst young men in the UK.

And one in 10 think that losing their dress sense as they get older will further reduce their sex appeal – a fifth of men already rely on “the wife” to buy most of the clothes in their wardrobe.

Tina Richards, anti-aging expert for < ahref="http://www.holdbacktime.com"www.holdbacktime.com said: “The male respondents in our poll seem very concerned about aging before their time.

“Brad Pitt was recently quoted as worrying he would lose Angelina Jolie because he feels he is already losing his looks at 43 – it seems that many of our respondents are already feeling the same way.”

The poll revealed that a third of men are so shy about their wobbly bits, they won’t even get naked in front of their partners.

Men are most likely to hate their stomachs, followed by their legs, feet and face.

A staggering six in 10 men think it is perfectly acceptable for women or men to have plastic surgery if it makes them happier.

And astonishingly, despite being dissatisfied with their own bodies, a whopping 25 per cent of men say it is a woman’s responsibility to go under the knife if she loses her looks with age.

TOP 10 WORRIES FOR MEN:

Beer belly / love handles
Man boobs
Fitness
Baldness / receding hair line
Premature aging
A bad diet
Double chin
Wrinkles
Losing dress sense
A sagging bottom

Women grumpier than men first thing

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London: Women are grumpier than men in the morning. They are not only grumpier more often than men but they are grumpier for longer, according to a new survey from the UK’s Sleep Council.

It reports that 24% of men say they never wake up in a bad mood as opposed to only 14% of women. The fairer sex is also more likely to stay grumpier for longer with 13% of them staying in a bad mood for two to four hours (men 10%). The survey, published ahead of National Sleep In Day on October 29 – the day the clocks go back and we all get an extra hour in bed – found 41% of us believe lack of sleep is the main reason for grumpiness in the morning.

“As men appear to sleep better than women (15% get a good seven nights’
sleep a week as opposed to only 9% of women), perhaps it’s not surprising that more women than men get out of bed on the wrong side,” says Jessica Alexander of The Sleep Council.

Overall nearly one in five of the population (18%) say they never really get a good night’s sleep: and techniques for doing so show a male/female split too. A worrying one in five men use a stiff drink (18%) and/ or sex (19%) to get off to sleep while women are more likely to read (57%), take a hot bath (28%) or have a sleeping pill (7%). A quarter (24%) of those questioned cited general stress and worry as a reason for early morning moodiness while 15% couldn’t face climbing out of a cosy, comfortable bed.

“The comfort of a bed was quite a significant factor in these results,” says Jessica Alexander. “Because while many people find it hard to tear themselves out of a comfortable bed in the morning, another 10% of participants cited a bad bed as a reason for poor sleep. Clearly these people either need to replace their bed more often or pay more for something in which they spend a third of their lives.”

The over 45 age-group fares worst of all in the sleep starvation stakes with a massive 44% saying they never get a good night’s sleep. Could this be connected to the fact they are the most likely people to have teenagers?And teenagers are the moodiest of all with 25% staying so for up to four hours.

There are clear regional differences too with London home to Great Britain’s Grumpiest: a whopping 19% maintain a bad mood for two to four hours while Northern Ireland leads the way in sheer numbers. More than a third (35%) of respondents here feel crabby for the first hour or so after waking. Worst areas for bad sleepers are Yorkshire and the North East where only 6.8% and 6.7% get seven nights of good sleep. In the South East and East, people get twice as much good sleep with 14% enjoying seven sound nights’
sleep.

“In London, 27% believe that when they wake up in a bad mood, stress is the most likely cause,” says Jessica. “This is interesting because Londoners, along with the rest of the South East, generally tend to be better sleepers. The fact that 18% of people in the North East never feel at their best compared to 7% in London represents a huge regional difference. We suspect the south’s better sleep patterns may be linked to greater wealth, better diet, more exercise – perhaps even higher spending on beds.”

Londoners also exercise most in the morning to get their day off to a good start while North Westerners are the swiftest at getting ready for work – more than a third (35%) do so in just 10 – 20 minutes. In Scotland they check their emails more than anywhere else and in the South West they ensure the house is spick and span before they leave.

“Which brings us right back round to why women are the grumpier sex in the morning,” says Jessica. “Our survey showed that 28% of them as opposed to only 5% of men do any housekeeping before going to work. It also tends to be them that prepares the breakfast, spends time with the children, check their emails and attend to their beauty regime. Women far outweigh men in having a busy and packed morning.”

So what do men do? Apparently just get up and go out: 17% of them spend only 10 minutes on their wake up and get out routine.

Said Jessica: “As a nation we are simply not taking time in the morning to exercise, chat to the kids, our partners or even our pets. This would suggest that people don’t have the time in the morning to do this because they are probably going to bed too late at night, sleeping in too late and not achieving the quality of sleep they need to feel and perform at their best. “One in 10 people told us they are never at their best in the morning but the cure to that isn’t rocket science. It’s about good diet, good exercise, and good sleep in a good bed.”

REGIONAL RESULTS: East 14% never get a really decent sleep in a typical week 52% blame stress/worry for the reason they have trouble sleeping 19% blame their partner’s snoring for the reason they have trouble sleeping

15% blame back pain for the reason they have trouble sleeping 14% blame having to climb out of a cosy, comfortable bed for feeling grumpy

42% find reading helps them to get to sleep 13% list sex as a technique to get to sleep 11% find having a stiff drink helps them to get to sleep London 13% never get a really decent sleep in a typical week 63% blame stress/worry for the reason they have trouble sleeping 26% blame their partner’s snoring for the reason they have trouble sleeping

13% blame back pain for the reason they have trouble sleeping 16% blame having to climb out of a cosy, comfortable bed for feeling grumpy

54% find reading helps them to get to sleep 19% list sex as a technique to get to sleep 13% find having a stiff drink helps them to get to sleep Midlands 20% never get a really decent sleep in a typical week 58% blame stress/worry for the reason they have trouble sleeping 21% blame their partner’s snoring for the reason they have trouble sleeping

14% blame back pain for the reason they have trouble sleeping 17% blame having to climb out of a cosy, comfortable bed for feeling grumpy

48% find reading helps them to get to sleep 15% list sex as a technique to get to sleep 14% find having a stiff drink helps them to get to sleep North East 21% never get a really decent sleep in a typical week 63% blame stress/worry for the reason they have trouble sleeping 30% blame their partner’s snoring for the reason they have trouble sleeping

25% blame back pain for the reason they have trouble sleeping 15% blame having to climb out of a cosy, comfortable bed for feeling grumpy

48% find reading helps them to get to sleep 15% list sex as a technique to get to sleep 8% find having a stiff drink helps them to get to sleep North West 17% never get a really decent sleep in a typical week 56% blame stress/worry for the reason they have trouble sleeping 21% blame their partner’s snoring for the reason they have trouble sleeping

18% blame back pain for the reason they have trouble sleeping 15% blame having to climb out of a cosy, comfortable bed for feeling grumpy

48% find reading helps them to get to sleep 11% list sex as a technique to get to sleep 13% find having a stiff drink helps them to get to sleep Northern Ireland 17% never get a really decent sleep in a typical week 69% blame stress/worry for the reason they have trouble sleeping 21% blame their partner’s snoring for the reason they have trouble sleeping

17% blame back pain for the reason they have trouble sleeping 14% blame having to climb out of a cosy, comfortable bed for feeling grumpy

59% find reading helps them to get to sleep 7% list sex as a technique to get to sleep 10% find having a stiff drink helps them to get to sleep Scotland 22% never get a really decent sleep in a typical week 48% blame stress/worry for the reason they have trouble sleeping 18% blame their partner’s snoring for the reason they have trouble sleeping

15% blame back pain for the reason they have trouble sleeping 14% blame having to climb out of a cosy, comfortable bed for feeling grumpy

51% find reading helps them to get to sleep 13% list sex as a technique to get to sleep 9% find having a stiff drink helps them to get to sleep South East 17% never get a really decent sleep in a typical week 55% blame stress/worry for the reason they have trouble sleeping 26% blame their partner’s snoring for the reason they have trouble sleeping

14% blame back pain for the reason they have trouble sleeping 15% blame having to climb out of a cosy, comfortable bed for feeling grumpy

53% find reading helps them to get to sleep 17% list sex as a technique to get to sleep 15% find having a stiff drink helps them to get to sleep South West 21% never get a really decent sleep in a typical week 59% blame stress/worry for the reason they have trouble sleeping 30% blame their partner’s snoring for the reason they have trouble sleeping

19% blame back pain for the reason they have trouble sleeping 12% blame having to climb out of a cosy, comfortable bed for feeling grumpy

43% find reading helps them to get to sleep 16% list sex as a technique to get to sleep 13% find having a stiff drink helps them to get to sleep Wales 24% never get a really decent sleep in a typical week 54% blame stress/worry for the reason they have trouble sleeping 16% blame their partner’s snoring for the reason they have trouble sleeping

13% blame back pain for the reason they have trouble sleeping 13% blame having to climb out of a cosy, comfortable bed for feeling grumpy

52% find reading helps them to get to sleep 11% list sex as a technique to get to sleep 17% find having a stiff drink helps them to get to sleep Yorkshire 22% never get a really decent sleep in a typical week 53% blame stress/worry for the reason they have trouble sleeping 25% blame their partner’s snoring for the reason they have trouble sleeping

15% blame back pain for the reason they have trouble sleeping 18% blame having to climb out of a cosy, comfortable bed for feeling grumpy

46% find reading helps them to get to sleep 13% list sex as a technique to get to sleep 19% find having a stiff drink helps them to get to sleep.

The Sleep Council’s ‘Grumpy Old Women’ survey was conducted online by Tickbox between October 2nd and 11th 2006 with a sample base of 2105. The Sleep Council is a generic body that aims to: • Raise awareness of the importance of a good night’s sleep to health
and wellbeing. • Provide helpful advice and tips on how to improve sleep quality. • Provide helpful advice on choosing the right bed for optimum
sleeping comfort.

The Sleep Council is funded by the National Bed Federation, the trade association for British bed manufacturers. The Sleep Council, High Corn Mill, Chapel Hill, Skipton, BD23 1NL UK Tel:
01756 791089. Web. www.sleepcouncil.com

The latest grooming treatments for men

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By Avril O’Connor

London: Botox, skin polishing and laser hair removal are the three most popular treatments for ‘metrosexual’ City man – the heterosexual male who shamelessly takes pride in his appearance. And according to experts there are an increasing number of them.

“There is a huge demand for competent aesthetic treatments for men of all descriptions. We’re fantastically vain,” says Dr Dr Séan Cummings of the Freedom Health clinic in Wimpole Street.

Since it was set up in 2003, Freedom Health has seen a shift from a mainly gay clientele wanting aesthetics, to increasing numbers of heterosexual men who like to bring the girlfriend along for a treatment too.

Dr Cummings says men tend to choose corrective treatments in preference to indulgent pampering. The number one treatment for men is Botox and increasingly facial fillers such as Restylane in which a natural substance called hyualuronic acid is injected into lines and is gradually reabsorbed into the body.

“Men like fillers because they’re not “poofy” but a rather technical processes which just fills the line there and then with no creams involved. The unexpected trend with Restylane is the number of men who want their lips enhancing – yep, straight guys,” says Cummings.

The increase in men seeking dermatological care is also being driven by stressful lifestyles and City pollution. Dermatologists have identified a specific London skin condition called “City Skin Sydrome” in which previously unblemished individuals suffer a sudden outbreak of acne, or acne and rosacea. Skin may also develop uneven pigmentation as well as a general decline in condition with blackheads open pores and congestion which manifests itself as bumps.

Explains Dr Cummings: “It’s a common skin problem in London caused by one or all of the following – pollution, dirt, and wild living with excess alcohol and fags which leaves your skin damaged, dehydrated and dull looking. This can be corrected with either a sequence of chemical peels or microdermabrasion.”

Dr Cummings says has also identified another male skin phenomenon in the capital – “Visor Face”.

“These are usually motorcyclists who leave their visor up and get bombarded by wind and dirt as they ride which damages their exposed skin leaving a bright red collection of broken capillaries on their cheeks. This is easy to correct using lasers. Treatment is easy, fast and with quite astonishing results.”

Sarah Payne, General Manager, City SkinKlinic says: “Men are seeing more and more in the media about these procedures and are becoming increasingly more confident about it themselves. They also want to look younger and healthier in the workplace. This can be due to an increasingly competitive work environment where perhaps they may be up against women of the same age who look younger.”

The most popular treatments are:

Botox

Botox works by paralysing the muscle into which it is injected and ironing out the wrinkle. The most popular areas for men to be treated are the Glabella, frown lines. Men do have stronger facial muscles and may require a larger solution than a woman would. Sometimes Botox alone may not be enough to soften the lines and a dermal filler may be required. It can take up to two weeks to take effect. Botox is also used as an effective treatment in the armpits to control sweating. Costs: from £190. Available at Freedom Health, 19 Wimpole Street, W1, T: 020 7323 9007 www.freedomhealth.co.uk and City SkinKlinic, 12 Brushfield Street, London E1 6AN www.cityskinklinic.co.uk T: 0207 655 6920

Facial fillers

Restylane and other fillers are extremely popular – at least as popular with males as females. The most usual lines to fill are the naso-labial (nose to mouth line) and glabellar grooves (forehead frown) and lips. Restylane is a nice safe treatment because it uses a natural substance, hyualuronic acid, which is injected into the skin which has the effect of immedicately plumping out the line so giving an instant effect but also “feeding” skin with moisture over a prolonged period. Restylane treatments will last anywhere between 6 and 12 months. Treatment takes about 40 minutes. Prices from £ 200. Available at Freedom Health and City SkinKlinic as above.

Hair Removal
PERMANENT
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is used to kill the hair follicle root and most parts of the face and body can be treated as well as in-growing hairs that cause shaving bumps and irritation. Great for backs, chests, tidying up the hairline on the back of the neck and ingrown hairs from shaving and from irritation from shirt collars. A consultation is required to determine the number of treatments required and the intervals between each session. A course of at least 6 treatments is generally recommended to achieve the best results. Treatment prices are determined by the time taken. The table below is intended as a guide to indicate the likely cost of an area. The factors which will be considered at consultation are the density of hair growth and size of treatment area.
A consultation and patch test is required 7 days prior to beginning treatment as not all skin and hair types are suitable. The removal of hair from the back for example would cost from £360 a session and several sessions may be required. Available at Freedom Health and City SkinKlinic.

WAXING

The traditional hair removal treatment in which hot wax is applied to the area and stripped taking away the hair. The usual areas for men to be treated are shoulders, chest, full leg, back, back and shoulders and arms. Costs from £30. Available at Freedom Health and City SkinKlinic. Also using Aveda products at the Gina Conway Aveda Lifestyle Salon & Spa, 62 Westbourne Grove, W2.

Microdermabrasion

This treatment usually uses aluminium oxide crystals which are fired at the skin to remove all the dead and dull skin cells leaving a bright and refreshed face. It will leave the face pink but this subsides in a few hours. It is also good for open pores, blackheads and some acne related conditions as an option to glycolic peels. The exfoliation will increase the penetration and so the effectiveness of homecare products for up to two weeks after the treatment. Can be used in combination with facials and takes about 40 minutes. Costs from £110 Available at Freedom Health and City SkinKlinic. Freedom Health which is offering a trial session of 20 minutes for £50.

SKIN PEELS

Glycolic Peels
Using natural fruit acids, these peels are a quick and effective method of improving the skin on the face or body through removal of dead skin cells. Glycolic acid helps to reduce fine lines, close pores and may also improve sun damage, scarring and hyper-pigmentation. Good for fragile skins, congestion, acne and open pores. Glycolic peels are light with no ‘down time’. Make up can be applied after treatment. Time: 45 mins first session, the rest only 30mins. Single session from £90

TCA (Trichloracetic acid)

Medical strength Trichloracetic acid (TCA) peels are used to correct deeper skin damage, improving pigmentation, acne scarring, freckling, sun damage, and melasma/chloasma (hormonal pigmentation). These peels are collagen boosting so good for fine lines and ageing skin. A consultation is required to assess existing skin damage and create a treatment programme. Time: First appointment 1 hour, rest of sessions 30 mins each. Cost: £175 per treatment.

Obagi Blue Chemical Peel

This is a very controlled but very deep peel yielding excellent results. Clients need one week off work because the very marked peeling effect but excellent treatment which reduces lines; sun damage, cancerous cells and revives underlying collagen. Pre-preparation using a sequence of products is needed. The products themselves have a super effect. As well as having an anti-ageing effect they are also terrific for acne treatments giving a good control without antibiotics and a nice smooth finish with scar reduction. Prep takes 6 weeks of using the Obagi products and the peel will take an hour to complete. Then there is the week downtime. Cost: from £400. Available at Freedom Health and City SkinKlinic.
VEIN TREATMENTS
Thread, broken or spider veins, Campbell de Morgan spots (small flat red “spots” caused by broken capillaries) and rosacea on the face and body can be treated by Intensed Pulsed Light (IPL) or ND Yag laser which destroys the broken capillary or by scelerotherapy in which a microinjection removes the vein. Time: 20-30 minutes. A medical consultation may be required to determine suitability for treatment including a patch test, the most appropriate method and the number of sessions required. Cost: from £150. Available at Freedom Health and City SkinKlinic.

Advanced Electrolysis

Electrolysis, which uses an electric current, is an excellent method for removing hair, especially for smaller areas such as cheekbones or ears, for light or colourless hair and on darker skin types. Advanced electrolysis can quickly remove skin tags, whiteheads and warts. Consultation is required prior to treatment. Prices from £25 for 15 minutes (hair) and £50 for 15 minutes (skin tags, warts and whiteheads). Available at Freedom Health and City SkinKlinic.

Lipotherapy
Lipotherapy tightens and firms and is also a dramatic fat reducing treatment. A fat dissolving herbal concentrates is infused into the skin through an electrically charged roller. This herbal concentrate breaks down the stored fat (cellulite) and converts it into liquid which is dissolved in the body. As Lipotherapy is completely computerised, the depth of penetration can be tailored, from 0.1 cm to 10cm depending of the therapist’s assessment. Results are visible after one treatment but a course of ten is recommended. Exercising in combination with the programme also improves results. Costs: £80. Available at The Janet Ginnings Hair & Beauty Salon, 45 Curzon Street, W1. T: 020 7499 1904/2767

The Ultimate Body Treatment

A powerful hi-tech body lifting treatment that uses a combination of faradic (intermittent) and galvanic (constant) micro currents to stimulate with deeply-penetrating skin care. Combined with intensive fat-burning formulations, muscles are toned and the skin texture smoothed. The skin is prepared with firming and anti-water retention creams before two and four pads are placed on each buttock from the lower back to the upper leg.
You will see an immediate improvement after one treatment but a course of 10 is recommended for lasting results. This treatment lifts the abdomen, thighs, butt, bust and upper arms. One treatment equates to going to the gym for about four hours and doing a strong work out aerobic and resistance workout. Cost: from £55Get 10% discount when booking a course of 10. Available at The Janet Ginnings Hair & Beauty Salon, 45 Curzon Street, W1. T: 020 7499 1904/2767

Ultratone Sports Programme.

Ultratone has a biostimulation sports programme that is used by the French National football team and endorsed by leading physiotherapists. Pads direct electrical impulses to stimulate and work the muscles. The lymphatic drainage treatment is particularly good for active men as this helps the body to repair itself far more efficiently and much faster. Using the Ultratone sports programme, the therapists can also build and strengthen muscles – measurable results are achieved within 6 weeks. The Sports programmes are from £30 per session. Ultratone salon is based on George Street, W1, T:020 7935 0631 The treatment is also available as a home kit – The Ultratone Athletic retails at £349 – stockists on Ultratone’s booking number as above

Facials

Ayurvedic massage

Customised treatments which use ancient Eastern Ayurvedic healing philosophies and natural oils. Each treatment is specially designed using blended oils and balancing techniques to revive, restore and revitalise the mind and body

The Elemental Nature Facial for Self Renewal – allow 1 hour and 30 minutes. Includes custom blended oils and products from Aveda, refinement, customised massaged techniques and a personalised masque with a custom blended foot exfoliation, hand and arm massage, foot massage, warm oil scalp massage and energy balancing movements. Cost: £90.

Caribbean Indulgence Wrap – allow 1 hour and 30 minutes. Using refreshing mango and lime form the Caribbean to restore and renew the body. The treatments begins with a dry exfoliation and you are then enveloped in a detoxifying rum, ginger and Seaweed Masque whilst your face and scalp are massaged with calming floral water. Your treatment is followed with a refreshing shower and a nurturing body massage using a Caribbean Cream to complete this island inspired luxury treat. Cost: £120. Available at Gina Conway Aveda Lifestyle salon & Spa, 62 Westbourne Grove, W2

City Decongestion Masque
For congested, tired, dull skin. Also treats active acne and for those with “City Skin Syndrome” where city life, traffic pollution and working conditions have unbalanced the skin resulting in imperfections such as congestion, uneven tone and texture and acne outbreaks.

This facial uses microdermabrasion to exfoliate the skin, removing dead skin cells which increases the penetration of the vitamin serum applied before the masque. The benefits of the exfoliation will continue for up to two weeks increasing the penetration of home care products.
Good for all skintypes and particularly good for male skins. Not for dehydrated or sensitive skins or those with vascular or rosacea conditions. Takes1 hour and 15 minutes. Cost: £145. City SkinKlinic

Crystal Clear Skin Treatment
Crystal Clear is a range of rejuvenating skin treatments including oxygen therapy and microdermabrasion. Its signature Clear Skin treatment is designed to replenish the skin’s natural oils which can be stripped by daily shaving. It soothes and nourishes the skin, leaving a smoother and suppler texture and a back massage is included to relieve aching muscles. The skin is first cleansed and exfoliated, then gently massages to improve circulation. This is followed by a lifting and firming mask containing a range of natural ingredients including Algae Gel and Wheat Amino Acids to stimulate the skin, plumping up collagen and removing impurities. A little self-tan is mixed with moisturiser to complete the treatment which takes an hour, resulting in a natural healthy glow. Cost £50. Amara Spa, 18-20 Fulham High St, SW6; T: 0207 384 9111; Belgravia Health & Beauty, 39 Lower Belgrave Street, SW1, T: 0207 730 1009; Emporium, 90 York St, W1, T: 0207 723 6650; Glitz Advanced Beauty, 29 Elystan St, SW3 3NT, T: 0207 052 0900 ; Hurlingham Clinic & Spa; 67 Studdridge St, SW8, T: 0207 348 6380; Kensington Close Health Club, Kensington Close Hotel, W8, T: 0207 368 4005; Qetesh Spa, Cannons Health Club, SW11, T: 0207 228 4400; Tranquil Beauty 406 Edgeware Rd,W2. T: 0207 224 9757For other salons 08705 934 934 or visit www.crystalclear.co.uk.

O2 Gold Rush Facial for Gents

A rich, glorious facial from skincare specialists, P8N8, is a concentrated moisture and mineral rush in a golden peptide mineral mask that leaves the skin smooth, soft, supple and luminous. The treatment lasts 25-30 minutes. Costs £25. At the Temple Beauty Spa & Holistic Escape, 30 Filmer Road, SW6, T: 0207 386 7813
Sothys Whisky a go-go Facial

The Sothys Whisky a go-go treatment hydrates dry skin and is particularly beneficial for skin sensitised by both wet and dry shaving. Phytomalt, one of the main active ingredients is an extract is obtained from the residues of the distillation of Scottish malt whisky and is rich in proteins, vitamin B and minerals. The treatment begins with a relaxing deep shoulder; neck and upper chest massage which then concentrates on the hair and scalp. The entire face and neck area is cleansed with a detoxifying active cleanser to remove any excess oil, dirt and dead skin cells and steamed towels are placed over the skin to ensure maximum benefit of the products applied to the skin. A rejuvenation cream mask is massaged into the skin. It is followed by the application of a peel off mask with Vitamin C and ginseng removed after 10 minutes. Finally the skin is moisturized and a hydra-tonic mist is lightly sprayed over the face and chest to end the treatment. Cost £50. Available at Martyn Gayle Hairdressers, 102 Westbourne Grove, W11. T: 020 7243 6047.

UK women have lowest life expectancy in Europe, says new report

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London: UK women have the lowest life expectancy in the European Union, according to a new report from the Office of National Statistics. But UK men are living longer than most in other European countries.

In a major report based on official statistics, the life expectancy for English men is 76.6 years, the second highest in the European Union which had an average male life expectancy of 74.8.

English women live longer than men, with a life expectancy of 80.9 years, but fare less well in comparison with the EU, where women live to 81.1 years on average. However, Britain is the second “fattest” nation in the EU, with more than a fifth of adults deemed obese, a figure second only to Greece.

Scotland has the lowest life expectancy for men (73.8 years) and women (79.1 years), and the greatest proportion of heavy smokers, a fact reflected in it also having the highest rate of lung cancer.

Wales has the lowest death rate among infants in 2003 and the highest proportion of disabled people in 2003-04.

In Northern Ireland in 2003, 17 per cent of 15-year-olds have some teeth missing due to decay. In England the figure is five per cent

Among the most worrying trends in the report, United Kingdom Health Statistics, was the level of sexually transmitted diseases, which was highest in England. The English rate of gonorrhoea infections in men was more than twice the rate for Scotland and Wales, and the English rate in women was twice the rate for Wales and four times that for Scotland.

Despite a rather poor impression of public health in Scotland, the country had the highest proportion of people taking part in high levels of physical activity, at all ages from 26 onwards.

In the UK, the most common type of health problem reported was arthritis and back pain, affecting about a third of men and women.One person in seven said they had considered suicide at some point.Anxiety and depression was suffered by seven per cent of men and 11 per cent of women.

Exercise cuts male risk of dying from heart disease

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Dallas: A study, published in the Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, shows that, regardless of cholesterol levels, men can cut by half their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease if they are physically fit.

The study has been carried out by researchers from Queen’s University School of Physical in Kingston and Health Education and Cooper Institute Centres for Integrated Health Research in Dallas.

The primary aim of the study was to analyze the effectiveness of last year’s modifications to the guidelines from the U.S. National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III ( NCEP ATP III ) for lowering LDL cholesterol to predict death from cardiovascular diseases.

“ We wanted to find out if the new guidelines could identify men at risk for cardiovascular disease,” says Katzmarzyk at Queen’s. “ We confirmed that the guidelines do accurately identify men at risk not only of disease, but also at risk of cardiovascular death. We also discovered that fitness is important across the board – at every level of cholesterol.”

Results also suggest that within a given risk category, physical fitness is associated with a greater than 50-per-cent lower risk of mortality. In this study, physical fitness was four to five, 30-minute segments of activity per week: equivalent to walking 130 to 138 minutes per week.

Researchers analyzed the cardiovascular risk factors and cardio-respiratory fitness of 19,125 men ages 20 to 79, who were treated at a preventive medicine clinic from 1979 -1995, prior to the revised treatment guidelines.

Using the new ATP III classifications:

· 58 per cent of the men would have met the criteria for being “at or below LDL cholesterol goal”;

· 18 per cent would have met the criteria for “ therapeutic lifestyle change ” – meaning diet, physical activity and weight management could lower LDL; and

· 24 per cent would have met the criteria for “drug consideration” for lowering LDL.

There were 179 deaths from cardiovascular disease over more than 10 years of follow-up.

Overall, compared to men who met the acceptable LDL level under the revised guidelines:

· Men who met the criteria for therapeutic lifestyle intervention had twice the risk of cardiovascular disease death; and

· Men eligible for aggressive cholesterol-lowering therapy had almost seven-times the risk.

The research was partly funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health ( NIH ).