An anti-wrinkle pill that may actually work

Forget Botox, facials and expensive potions – a revolutionary new pill promises to zap wrinkles from the inside.

And scientists say the three-a-day capsules may actually work – meaning they could spark a buying frenzy when they launch tomorrow.

Clinical studies, reports the New Scientist magazine, suggest the product, marketed as the Dove Spa Strength Within Beauty Supplement, genuinely “show[s] evidence of combating wrinkling from the deeper layers of skin”.

The results suggest that, in 14 weeks, crow’s feet became as much as 30 per cent shallower for women who took the pills, compared to no significant change for those who did not.

And examination of the dermis, the deepest skin layer, showed “significantly more fresh collagen” in some of those who received the treatment.

The wonder pill, costing £35 for a month’s supply, has been created by Unilever experts, who tested the capsules on 480 post-menopausal women in the UK, France and Germany.

Using natural food extracts to improve skin tone, key to the blend are vitamins C and E, isoflavones from soya, lycopene from tomatoes and omega-3 polyunsaturated acids from fish oil.

The theory is to put back into the modern diet the ingredients that were abundant in the food of our hunter-gatherer forebears. Evidence suggests that they have “profound effects” on genes that keep tissue and organs healthy.

Unilever plans to officially launch the product next month in branches of Dove Spa, which are located across the UK including Surrey, London, the West Midlands and Lancashire, but they will go on sale on the www.dovespa.co.uk website from tomorrow.

Dr John Casey, who led the team which developed the pill said it worked by activating 'master' genes involved in collagen synthesis, reducing wrinkles and sun damage.

He said: “We used ingredients which have been shown in the scientific literature and our own tests to combat the causes of skin ageing and kickstart old skin cells into behaving like young skin cells.

“We spent five years testing the ingredients on hundreds of women and found this combination could reduce deep wrinkles within 14 weeks. There is nothing currently on the market which can do that.”

Independent experts today also gave a guarded welcome to the treatment.

Christopher Griffiths, professor of dermatology at the University of Manchester, said: “They do appear to have done a pretty comprehensive study.” Of the apparent repair of deep wrinkles, he added: “I know of no other study that has shown this before.”

However, Griffiths – co-author of the 2009 clinical trials that confirmed Boots’ No7 Protect and Perfect anti-ageing cream worked - said he was reserving final judgement on the new treatment until the full findings of the trials are published and more long-term tests are carried out.

Another independent dermatologist, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary’s Richard Weller, told the New Scientist: "What matters is the clinical data, and they show there are reduced wrinkles in the treated group. I'm not aware of any [other] oral treatments that do this."

5 Foods That Can Trigger a Stroke

Few things feel more terrifying and random than a stroke, which can strike without warning. And fear of stroke -- when a blood vessel in or leading to the brain bursts or is blocked by a blood clot, starving brain cells of oxygen and nutrients -- is well founded. After all, stroke is the number-three killer in the U.S., affecting more than 700,000 people each year. Here are five foods that cause the damage that leads to stroke.

1. Crackers, chips, and store-bought pastries and baked goods

Muffins, doughnuts, chips, crackers, and many other baked goods are high in trans fats, which are hydrogenated oils popular with commercial bakeries because they stay solid at room temperature, so the products don't require refrigeration. Also listed on labels as "partially hydrogenated" or hydrogenated oils, trans fats are found in all kinds of snack foods, frozen foods, and baked goods, including salad dressings, microwave popcorn, stuffing mixes, frozen tater tots and French fries, cake mixes, and whipped toppings. They're also what makes margarine stay in a solid cube. The worst offenders are fried fast foods such as onion rings, French fries, and fried chicken.

Why it's bad

For years scientists have known trans fats are dangerous artery-blockers, upping the concentrations of lipids and bad cholesterol in the blood and lowering good cholesterol. Now we can add stroke to the list of dangers. This year researchers at the University of North Carolina found that women who ate 7 grams of trans fat each day -- about the amount in two doughnuts or half a serving of French fries -- had 30 percent more strokes (the ischemic type, caused by blocked blood flow to the brain) than women who ate just 1 gram a day. Another recent study, also in women, found that trans fats promoted inflammation and higher levels of C-reactive protein, which have been linked to an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

What to do

Aim to limit trans fats to no more than 1 or 2 grams a day -- and preferably none. Avoid fast-food French fries and other fried menu items and study packaged food labels closely. Even better, bake your own cookies, cakes, and other snacks. When you can't, search out "health-food" alternative snacks, such as Terra brand potato chips and traditional whole grain crackers such as those made by Finn, Wasa, AkMak, Ryvita, and Lavasch.

2. Smoked and processed meats

Whether your weakness is pastrami, sausage, hot dogs, bacon, or a smoked turkey sandwich, the word from the experts is: Watch out.

Why it's bad

Smoked and processed meats are nasty contributors to stroke risk in two ways: The preserving processes leave them packed with sodium, but even worse are the preservatives used to keep processed meats from going bad. Sodium nitrate and nitrite have been shown by researchers to directly damage blood vessels, causing arteries to harden and narrow. And of course damaged, overly narrow blood vessels are exactly what you don't want if you fear stroke.

Many studies have linked processed meats to coronary artery disease (CAD); one meta-analysis in the journal Circulation calculated a 42-percent increase in coronary heart disease for those who eat one serving of processed meat a day. Stroke is not the only concern for salami fans; cancer journals have reported numerous studies in the past few years showing that consumption of cured and smoked meats is linked with increased risk of diabetes and higher incidences of numerous types of cancer, including leukemia.

What to do

If a smoked turkey or ham sandwich is your lunch of choice, try to vary your diet, switching to tuna, peanut butter, or other choices several days a week. Or cook turkey and chicken yourself and slice it thin for sandwiches.

How to Tell if Someone Is Having a Stroke

3. Diet soda

Although replacing sugary drinks with diet soda seems like a smart solution for keeping weight down -- a heart-healthy goal -- it turns out diet soda is likely a major bad guy when it comes to stroke.

Why it's bad

People who drink a diet soda a day may up their stroke risk by 48 percent. A Columbia University study presented at the American Stroke Association's 2011 International Stroke Conference followed 2,500 people ages 40 and older and found that daily diet soda drinkers had 60 percent more strokes, heart attacks, and coronary artery disease than those who didn't drink diet soda. Researchers don't know exactly how diet soda ups stroke risk -- and are following up with further studies -- but nutritionists are cautioning anyone concerned about stroke to cut out diet soda pop.

What to do

Substitute more water for soda in your daily diet. It's the healthiest thirst-quencher by far, researchers say. If you don't like water, try lemonade, iced tea, or juice.

4. Red meat

This winter, when the respected journal Stroke published a study showing that women who consumed a large portion of red meat each day had a 42-percent higher incidence of stroke, it got nutrition experts talking. The information that red meat, with its high saturated fat content, isn't healthy for those looking to prevent heart disease and stroke wasn't exactly news. But the percentage increase (almost 50 percent!) was both startling and solid; the researchers arrived at their finding after following 35,000 Swedish women for ten years.

Why it's bad

Researchers have long known that the saturated fat in red meat raises the risk of stroke and heart disease by gradually clogging arteries with a buildup of protein plaques. Now it turns out that hemoglobin, the ingredient that gives red meat its high iron content, may pose a specific danger when it comes to stroke. Researchers are investigating whether blood becomes thicker and more viscous as a result of the consumption of so-called heme iron, specifically upping the chance of strokes.

What to do

Aim to substitute more poultry -- particularly white meat -- and fish, which are low in heme iron, for red meat. Also, choose the heart-healthiest sources of protein whenever you can, especially beans, legumes, nuts, tofu, and nonfat dairy.

5. Canned soup and prepared foods

Whether it's canned soup, canned spaghetti, or healthy-sounding frozen dinners, prepared foods and mixes rely on sodium to increase flavor and make processed foods taste fresher. Canned soup is cited by nutritionists as the worst offender; one can of canned chicken noodle soup contains more than 1,100 mg of sodium, while many other varieties, from clam chowder to simple tomato, have between 450 and 800 mg per serving. Compare that to the American Heart and Stroke Association's recommendation of less than1,500 mg of sodium daily and you'll see the problem. In fact, a nutritionist-led campaign, the National Salt Reduction Initiative, calls on food companies to reduce the salt content in canned soup and other products by 20 percent in the next two years.

Why it's bad

Salt, or sodium as it's called on food labels, directly affects stroke risk. In one recent study, people who consumed more than 4,000 mg of sodium daily had more than double the risk of stroke compared to those who ate 2,000 mg or less. Yet theCenters for Disease Control estimate that most Americans eat close to 3,500 mg of sodium per day. Studies show that sodium raises blood pressure, the primary causative factor for stroke. And be warned: Sodium wears many tricky disguises, which allow it to hide in all sorts of foods that we don't necessarily think of as salty. Some common, safe-sounding ingredients that really mean salt:

• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• MSG (monosodium glutamate)
• Disodium phosphate
• Sodium alginate

What to do

Make your own homemade soups and entrees, then freeze individual serving-sized portions. Buy low-sodium varieties, but read labels carefully, since not all products marked "low sodium" live up to that promise.

The Forbes 400: The Richest People in America, 2011

Bill Gates

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Rank: 1

Net Worth: $59 Billion

Age: 55

Source: Microsoft

Residence: Medina, WA

The top mission for the world's most magnanimous human being Bill Gates (he's already given away $28 billion) is to end polio, which still exists in four countries and requires $1 billion a year for vaccinations; his foundation chips in $200 million. He's also tackling malaria by providing more bed nets and backing development of a low-cost vaccine. Slower progress on the education front: After delivering $2 billion-plus in grants to help high schools from 2000 to 2008, Gates admitted that efforts "fell short." Just one-fourth of his net worth is still held in Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT - News); the rest is in private equity, global stocks, bonds and private companies. With help from billionaire buddy Warren Buffett, he's convinced nearly 70 of the world's wealthiest to sign his "Giving Pledge," promising to donate the majority of their wealth to charity either during their lifetime or after death. In April toured Amazon ruins and jungles with wife, Melinda, and their children.

Warren Buffett

Olivier Douliery/ABACAUSA.COM/Newscom

Rank: 2

Net Worth: $39 Billion

Source: Berkshire Hathaway

Residence: Omaha, NE

Warren Buffett, the second richest man in America, thinks he and his fellow billionaires should be paying more money to Uncle Sam. In August Buffett penned an opinion piece in the New York Times arguing that tycoons need to pay more taxes: "While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan, and while most Americans struggle to make ends meet, we mega-rich continue to get our extraordinary tax breaks." That same month Buffett went bargain shopping and invested $5 billion in beleaguered Bank of America, a move similar to his backing of Goldman Sachs during the credit crisis. Buffett suffered a rare blemish this March after top executive and potential successor, David Sokol, resigned amidst allegations of self dealing; charges were never filed. Meanwhile shares of his conglomerate, Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-A - News), have fallen 10% since last August, while the S&P 500 climbed 10% over the same span. Along with billionaire buddy, Bill Gates, Buffett continues to push the Giving Pledge, wrangling new tycoons to agree to ultimately give away 50% of their fortunes. The son of Nebraska stockbroker met value investor Benjamin Graham while studying economics at Columbia. Took over textile firm Berkshire Hathaway in 1965, company now holds vast investments including banks, insurance, railroads and restaurants.

Larry Ellison

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Rank: 3

Net Worth: $33 Billion

Age: 67

Source: Oracle

Residence: Redwood City, CA

Larry Ellison seems to be spending more time in court than on the water: Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL - News) has been battling German software firm SAP over alleged software theft and rival HP over Ellison's hiring of its former chief Mark Hurd. Oracle stock is unharmed — up 15% from a year ago. Ellison sold his half-share in 453-foot yacht Rising Sun to co-owner David Geffen in late 2010. After quietly donating millions to medicine and education, Ellison joined the Giving Pledge at Buffett's behest in 2010.

Charles Koch

Bo Rader/Wichita Eagle/MCT/Newscom

Rank: 4

Net Worth: $25 Billion

Age: 75

Source: Manufacturing

Residence: Wichita, KS

Faulty absentee ballot applications in Wisconsin were just the latest political dirty tricks attributed to Charles and his brother David, thanks to their financial support for Americans for Prosperity, the Tea Party-esque group that is fighting public-sector unions and tax increases nationwide. Liberals fear the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United decision of last year will give the billionaire brothers unlimited clout in next year's presidential election. But the Kochs, whose political contributions are down by more than half this year, seem more intent on building their business. Koch Industries revenues, which Charles heads from Wichita, are more than $100 billion, and the debt-averse company is rapidly eliminating the leverage on its $21 billion purchase of Georgia Pacific in 2005. Meanwhile the Kochs split with wealthy peer T. Boone Pickens over his plan to subsidize natural gas vehicles; the Kochs call it an unwarranted giveaway to big business. The brothers got their initial fortune from their father, Fred C. Koch (d. 1967), who invented the method of turning heavy oil into gasoline. Charles and David bought out other brothers William and Frederick for $1.1 billion in 1983. Today the company, in which they both have 42% stakes, has investments in pipelines, refineries, fertilizer, fibers and polymers, chemical technology and forest and consumer products.

David Koch

AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

Rank: 5

Net Worth: $25 Billion

Age: 71

Source: Manufacturing

Residence: New York, NY

New York City's richest billionaire sits on many of its most prominent boards including that of the American Museum of Natural History. Still he and his brother Charles have a knack for stirring up controversy. Faulty absentee ballot applications in Wisconsin were just the latest political dirty tricks attributed to the pair, thanks to their financial support for Americans for Prosperity, the Tea Party-esque group that is fighting public-sector unions and tax increases nationwide. Liberals fear the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United decision of last year will give the billionaire brothers unlimited clout in next year's presidential election. But the Kochs, whose political contributions are down by more than half this year, seem more intent on building their business. Koch Industries revenues are more than $100 billion, and the debt-averse company is rapidly eliminating the leverage on its $21 billion purchase of Georgia Pacific in 2005. Meanwhile the Kochs split with wealthy peer T. Boone Pickens over his plan to subsidize natural gas vehicles; the Kochs call it an unwarranted giveaway to big business. The brothers got their initial fortune from their father, Fred C. Koch (d. 1967), who invented method of turning heavy oil into gasoline. Charles and David bought out other brothers William and Frederick for $1.1 billion in 1983. Today the company, in which they both have 42% stakes, has investments in pipelines, refineries, fertilizer, fibers and polymers, chemical technology and forest and consumer products.

Christy Walton

L. Matthew Bowler

Rank: 6

Net Worth: $24.5 Billion

Age: 56

Source: Walmart

Residence: Jackson, WY

The world's richest woman, Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT - News) widow Christy Walton inherited her wealth when husband John Walton, a former Green Beret and Vietnam war medic, died in an airplane accident near his home in Wyoming in 2005. Her late husband's investment in First Solar also boosts her total net worth by nearly $2.7 billion. The bulk still comes from her holdings in Wal-Mart, the retailer founded by her father-in-law Sam Walton and his brother James in 1962. Walton received almost $300 million in Wal-Mart dividends since last year. The stock was up only 3% in the past year.

George Soros

Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

Rank: 7

Net Worth: $22 Billion

Age: 81

Source: Hedge funds

Residence: Katonah, NY

In July George Soros announced that he is turning his fund into a family office, returning just under $1 billion of his $25.5 billion assets to outside investors — dodging Dodd-Frank's registration mandate. In August his ex-girlfriend, 28, sued him for $50 million for an apartment she says he promised to buy her. Soros is best known for shorting England's currency, "breaking" the Bank of England in 1992 and reportedly making $1 billion in one day when Bank of England stopped fixing exchange rate. He has given away more than $8 billion since 1979 to human rights, public health and education groups. Last year he pledged $100 million to Human Rights Watch, in part to counteract America's loss of the "moral high ground." He's also given away $150 million to Roma Rights (Gypsies).

Sheldon Adelson

Mike Clark/AFP/Getty Images

Rank: 8

Net Worth: $21.5 Billion

Age: 78

Source: Casinos

Residence: Las Vegas, NV

Casino king Sheldon Adelson continues to enjoy a hot hand. His fortune is up $7 billion since last year, as his strong position in the casino-crazy Asian markets has pushed stock of Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS -News) up roughly 50% to a recent $48. (Shares once traded as low as $1.50 in 2009.) Nearly 90% of its operating profit comes from Asia; the thriving Marina Bay Sands casino opened in Singapore last year. Through his majority-owned subsidiary Sands China, Adelson has 3 resorts in Macau. His goal is to push company shares back over $100, near their 2007 peak. Not that he'll spend the money on himself: "The richer I get, the more money goes to cancer research." The cabdriver's son created the computer industry's marquee event, Comdex, in the mid-1980s. He sold it to Japan's Softbank for $862 million 1995 and later built the $1.5 billion Venetian Resort Hotel Casino and the 1.2-million-square-foot Sands Convention Center in 1997 in Las Vegas. He opened the $1.9 billion Palazzo resort in 2008.

Jim Walton

Beth Hall/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Rank: 9

Net Worth: $21.1 Billion

Age: 63

Source: Walmart

Residence: Bentonville, AR

Wal-Mart heir Jim Walton is Chairman and CEO of his family's Arvest Bank, which has branches in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. His father, Sam Walton (d. 1992), a former clerk, founded a Bentonville store with his brother James in 1962. Today, Wal-Mart has sales of $405 billion and employs more than 2.1 million people across 28 countries. The company's shares were up 3% in the past year. Jim Walton received over $300 million in dividend payouts. He also serves as chairman of Community Publishers, which operates newspapers in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.

Alice Walton

AP Photo/April L. Brown

Rank: 10

Net Worth: $20.9 Billion

Age: 61

Source: Walmart

Residence: Millsap, TX

Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton is set to open her Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas in November. Considered one of the world's preeminent collections of American art from colonial time to the present, the museum will include works donated by Walton herself and the Walton Family Foundation, with the possible additional gifts from other private collectors. Wal-Mart shares are up 3% over the past year. Walton graduated from Trinity College in San Antonio, Texas, and now runs a horse ranch in central Texas.

S. Robson Walton

Donald Bowers/Getty Images

Rank: 11

Net Worth: $20.5 Billion

Age: 67

Source: Walmart

Residence: Bentonville, AR

Wal-Mart Chairman S. Robson Walton has served as the head of the giant retailer's board since 1992. His father, Sam Walton (d. 1992), a former clerk, founded a Bentonville store with his brother James in 1962. Today, Wal-Mart has sales of $405 billion and employs more than 2.1 million people across 28 countries. The company's stock was up 3% in the last year. Walton received over $300 million in dividend payouts. Before joining Wal-Mart, he was a partner with the law firm of Conner & Winters in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Michael Bloomberg

Richard Drew/AP Photo

Rank: 12

Net Worth: $19.5 Billion

Age: 69

Source: Bloomberg

Residence: New York, NY

As New York City mayor, his popularity goes up and down with the weather these days. He faced embarrassment in April when his controversial choice for schools chancellor, fellow media executive Cathie Black, resigned after three months on the job. Then in June he celebrated when New York legislators approved same-sex marriage. All the while, his media empire only goes up. Rivals may continue to shrink, but Bloomberg LP keeps adding office space and employees. The company installed its 300,000th data terminal this year. In February, it announced it had acquired 400,000 square feet of new office space in a midtown Manhattan building where it already had 700,000 square feet. Bloomberg LP is also expanding its European operations out of a new, larger London base. Bloomberg has given away at least $1.8 billion to charities to date, funding the arts and public health.

Jeff Bezos

Mike Segar/Reuters

Rank: 13

Net Worth: $19.1 Billion

Age: 47

Source: Amazon

Residence: Medina, WA

The mastermind of the world's largest online retailer Jeff Bezos got his start selling books. Now, thanks to the Kindle, he sells more e-books than the paper variety. Even Apple diehards are talking about the launch of Amazon's (Nasdaq: AMZN - News) "iPad killer" tablet later this year. He continues to fund secretive aerospace company Blue Origin, which shot into the news in August when an unmanned spacecraft blew up during a test flight. But Amazon shares have defied gravity, jumping 55% year-to-year and adding $6.5 billion to his net worth.

Mark Zuckerberg

Tony Avelar/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Rank: 14

Net Worth: $17.5 Billion

Age: 27

Source: Facebook

Residence: Palo Alto, CA

These days everything Mark Zuckerberg does grabs headlines, whether he's dining with President Obama, donating $100 million to Newark schools or vowing to eat only meat he's killed himself. In August a sale of Facebook shares by Interpublic placed a $66.5 billion valuation on the social network, helping to make him the year's biggest dollar gainer. Despite the jump, he spent a relatively modest $7 million for a Palo Alto house, where he and his longtime girlfriend, Priscilla Chan, now live. The long-anticipated IPO is likely to hit sometime in 2012.

Sergey Brin

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Rank: 15

Net Worth: $16.7 Billion

Age: 38

Source: Google

Residence: Los Altos, CA

Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG - News) Sergey Brin saw his cofounder Larry Page take back the reins at the search giant this year, replacing Eric Schmidt as CEO. Now the two are overseeing an effort to recoup some market share from much-hyped rivals, including Facebook. In June, the engine launched its social media project, Google+. Its Groupon killer, Google Offers, is now live in a handful of big city markets. The firm's Google Chrome browser now commands 20% market share, according to StatCounter, showing Google's increasing dominance outside of search alone. According to Alexa, Google.com is the most visited website in the world. Brin focuses on raising margins and directing special projects at the Mountain View, Calif.-based company. He emigrated from Russia at age 6. The son and grandson of mathematicians on his father's side, his mother was a research scientist at NASA. He met co-founder Page in a computer science Ph.D. program at Stanford and dropped out in 1998 to start Google from a friend's garage. The two share a 767 jet. Brin is also an investor in Airship Ventures and private space travel company Space Adventures. He has become a benefactor for research into Parkinson's disease, after finding out he has a genetic mutation increasing the odds he'll get it. (His wife Anne Wojcicki is the cofounder of personal genetics company 23andMe, through which he learned of his condition.) Brin practices diving, yoga and acrobatics to lower odds he'll develop the disease.

Larry Page

Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

Rank: 15

Net Worth: $16.7 Billion

Age: 38

Source: Google

Residence: Palo Alto, CA

Larry Page is back in the driver's seat at Google: he took over as CEO in April after ceding the role to Eric Schmidt a decade ago. Now the company must wait to see whether Page's return will boost Google's fortune in the long term. Since his appointment in April, stock price is down 10%. Page and co-founder Sergey Brin have already launched a host of new products this year, aimed at taking on Google's younger rivals. In June, the engine launched its social media project, Google+, a Facebook competitor. Its Groupon killer, Google Offers, is now live in a handful of big city markets. When he's not running the show, Page's personal passions include buying up chunks of residential Palo Alto for a network of houses that use new types of fuel cells, geothermal energy, and rainwater capture. He also rides a Zero X electric dirt bike and an electric sports car from Tesla Motors, in which he and Brin are investors.

John Paulson

Rick Maiman/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Rank: 17

Net Worth: $15.5 Billion

Age: 55

Source: Hedge funds

Residence: New York, NY

Call it the Paulson paradox. While his flagship fund has tanked 30% so far this year, as bets on Bank of America, Citigroup and China's Sino Forest went south, his personal fortune is up 25%, year over year. Reason? The gold-denominated versions of his firm's funds, where he is said to have most of his personal stash, have gained steadily. Last year his take-home pay was $4.9 billion, a record for the hedge fund industry. He is donating $15 million to a new maternity hospital in Guayaquil, Ecuador, where his father was born. Paulson became a billionaire in 2007 shorting subprime securities and earning a $3.5 billion payout. He got his start at Odyssey Partners, a private equity and hedge fund and later became managing director of M&A at Bear Stearns. He founded Paulson & Co in 1994.

Michael Dell

Matthew Staver/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Rank: 18

Net Worth: $15 B

Age: 46

Source: Dell

Residence: Austin, TX

The Texas computer mogul is $500 million richer as Dell stock is up 15% year on year. The PC firm has come a long way since Michael started selling computers from his college dorm room in 1984 (he took Dell public in 1988). Dell (Nasdaq: DELL - News) hasn't been able to reach its 2005 peak, when Michael was worth $18 billion, but the company is exploring new ways to make money. Dell's enterprise business — servers, storage and services — now comprises a third of $60 billion annual sales. Dell won't abandon its computing heritage, however. As Michael tweeted in August, "the reports of the PC's death have been greatly exaggerated." Most of his fortune is now tied up in his investment firm MSD Capital, with around $12 billion from past share sales under management. He and wife Susan support anti-childhood-obesity campaigns.

Steve Ballmer

Bloomberg/Getty Images

Rank: 19

Net Worth: $13.9 B

Age: 55

Source: Microsoft

Residence: Bellevue, WA

Microsoft's embattled chief dumped 18% of his shares in November 2010, his biggest sale ever and first in seven years. Bill Gates' college mate dismisses the suggestion that it's a move to the exits, saying he's "fully committed" to Microsoft, where he's been boss since 2000. In that time Microsoft has lost half of its value while profits have doubled. Analysts put the breakup value of the company up to three times current stock price. The software sales juggernaut has sold 350 million copies of Office and 400 million copies of Windows 7. Search engine Bing has had modest market share gains and Ballmer has a big consumer hit with the Kinect motion control system for the Xbox. Kinect is one of fastest selling gadgets of all time. Xbox is also now the top-selling console in the U.S. In May Ballmer went deep and spent $8.7 billion (32 times ebitda) on Skype, the cheapo calling service that still loses money. Microsoft wanted Skype for its new mobile operating system, Windows Phone, which is getting positive reviews. Detroit native dropped out of Stanford M.B.A. program to join Harvard classmate Bill Gates in 1980 as employee number 30. Keeps his philanthropy quiet. Mostly works, goes to the gym and hangs out with his family.

Forrest Mars

Zuma Press/Newscom

Rank: 20

Net Worth: $13.8 B

Age: 80

Source: Mars Candy

Residence: Big Horn, WY

Forrest Mars Jr. and his siblings, John and Jacqueline, own $31.6 billion (sales) Mars, the world's largest candy company thanks in part to its $23 billion acquisition of gum maker Wrigley's in 2008. The candy maker's most famous brands include Milky Way, M&M's, 3 Musketeers, Twix, Skittles, and Snickers, reportedly named for the Mars family's favorite horse. Forrest's grandfather, Frank Mars, began making chocolates in 1911 in his Tacoma, WA kitchen. It was his father Forrest Sr. who invented malt-flavored nougat and M&M's, over 400 million of which are produced in the United States each day. Mars has even branched out into consumer and pet foods with the well known brands Uncle Ben's Rice and Whiskas under the Mars umbrella. Forrest recently made headlines for protesting the construction of a Montana railroad that would facilitate coal extraction from the state because the proposed route passed through his ranch. When his attempts to block it via legal action failed, Forrest simply bought a stake in the railroad and adjusted the route accordingly. A noted history buff and preservationist, the $23 million Mars Education Center opened at Fort Ticonderoga this summer. Forrest's former wife, Deborah, is a Ticonderoga native.

Jacqueline Mars

Photo provided by Washington Life Magazine

Rank: 20

Net Worth: $13.8 B

Age: 71

Source: Mars Candy

Residence: The Plains, VA

Jacqueline Mars and her two brothers, John and Forrest Jr, own $31.6 billion (sales) Mars, the world's largest candy company thanks in part to its $23 billion acquisition of gum maker Wrigley's in 2008. The candy maker's most famous brands include Milky Way, M&M's, 3 Musketeers, Twix, Skittles, and Snickers, reportedly named for the Mars family's favorite horse. Jacqueline's grandfather, Frank Mars, began making chocolates in 1911 in his Tacoma, WA kitchen. It was her father Forrest Sr. who invented malt-flavored nougat and M&M's, over 400 million of which are produced in the United States each day. Mars has since branched out into consumer and pet foods with the well known brands Uncle Ben's Rice and Whiskas under the Mars umbrella. Jacqueline is a trustee of the United States Equestrian team and sits on the board of the Washington National Opera, which recently completed a merger with the Kennedy Center.

John Mars

Rank: 20

Net Worth: $13.8 B

Age: 75

Source: Mars Candy

Residence: Jackson, WY

John Mars and his siblings, Forrest Jr. and Jacqueline, own $31.6 billion (sales) Mars, the world's largest candy company thanks in part to its $23 billion acquisition of gum maker Wrigley's in 2008. The candy maker's most famous brands include Milky Way, M&M's, 3 Musketeers, Twix, Skittles, and Snickers, reportedly named for the Mars family's favorite horse. John's grandfather, Frank Mars, began making chocolates in 1911 in his Tacoma, WA kitchen. It was his father Forrest Sr. who invented malt-flavored nougat and M&M's, over 400 million of which are produced in the United States each day. Mars has even branched out into consumer and pet foods with the well known brands Uncle Ben's Rice and Whiskas under the Mars umbrella. Mars is a noted supporter of Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington.