Nutrition plays a large role in our health, but it also plays an important role in the maintenance of healthy skin. Your skin appearance can be affected by macronutrients and micronutrients in your everyday diet. Our skin is a barrier that protects our tissue from pathogens, chemicals, and exposures in the environment. The skin is unique. It is one of the only organs that can be directly affected by supplementation through topical application. While the effect of macronutrient and micronutrients on skin health is a new field, poor nutrition has been associated with changes in skin appearance for many years now. Just like eating a variety of fruits and vegetables will benefit the health of your body, your skin will also benefit from these nutrients.
Popular nutrients that are shown to benefit skin health are carotenoids, flavonoids, Vitamins A, C, D, E, and essential omega 3- fatty acids. Vitamin C deficiency can lead to scurvy disease which can cause skin lesions, gum bleeding, or slow wound healing. Vitamin C, also known as L-ascorbic acid, can be used orally and topically for skin benefits. Vitamin E and vitamin C act synergistically. The intake of natural vitamin E helps against collagen cross-linking and lipid peroxidation, both of which are linked to the aging of the skin. Beta carotene, found in carotenoids, is a photoprotector, meaning it is effective at preventing UV induced erythema formation.
Fruit and vegetable consumption are one of the most healthy and safe methods to maintain a balanced diet and youthful appearing skin. Here are a few foods that contain vitamins that will benefit your skin health:
- Vitamin C sources: fresh fruit and vegetables such as citrus, guava, chili pepper, or parsley.
- Vitamin E sources: vegetable oils like wheat germ oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil and corn, and some meats.
- Beta carotene sources: carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato, mangos, and papayas.
Resource from: Detmato Endocrinology, Discovering the link between nutrition and skin aging (2012 July 1) Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583891/
