The potential effect of nutrition on skin aging has long been studied by physicians and scientists worldwide. In the skincare industry, many nutrients and plant extracts have been widely used in their products either in the form of oral supplements or topical application agents for prolonging the youthful appearance of the skin.
Some of the factors that affects skin aging are poor nutrition, sleep deprivation, excessive sun exposure, smoking and environmental influence. Following appropriate preventive strategies is the best and most effective way to work against skin aging.
Free radicals are produced during several physiological processes taking place in our body. The harmful effect of these free radicals causes unwanted skin damage like premature wrinkles, uneven skin tone and pigmentation.
Our body itself produces some antioxidant defences to fight against the harmful effect of these free radicals. Insufficiency of antioxidant defence mechanisms is associated with several chronic disorders such as cardiovascular diseases, inflammation and diabetes.
So in addition to the antioxidant defence produced in the body, supplying essential components from the diet is of utmost importance.
A well regulated lifestyle that includes body care, a balanced diet that contains antioxidant rich foods, caloric restriction, physical exercise and stress management is the best strategy to prevent excessive skin damage .
Vitamins A, C, D and E,, some proteins, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants such as flavonoids,, carotinoids and tocopheols have been proven to be beneficial for promoting skin health and beauty https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583891/#R3study
Beauty reflects from inside. Eating certain foods that contains these essential nutrients can keep your skin healthy and beautiful. The nutrients contained in these types of foods also helps you to fight against diseases and boost your energy level. So paying attention to your diet is one the best things you can do for the health and appearance of your skin.
Below are 6 foods that are significantly known for its anti-aging properties.
1. Berries
Studies related to the antioxidant activity of bioactive compounds in berries show its efficacy in promoting healthy aging. Berry phenolics are found to be beneficial for delaying the onset of aging and improving overall health. Berry family fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, cranberries and raspberries are rich sources of phytochemicals such as antioxidant phenolics which include phenolic acid, stilbenes, tannins and flavonoids.
2. Nuts
Nuts contain phytochemicals, bioactive compounds and antioxidants that are beneficial for improving skin health. Scientific studies demonstrates the potential benefits of nut-enriched diet for preventing or delaying age related diseases.
Following a healthy dietary plan enhanced with increased consumption of tree nuts and peanuts positively impacts many risk factors related to aging and can improve quality of life and extend health span.
Clinical evidences are that, tree nuts and peanuts, can improve the lipid profile, increase insulin sensitivity and metabolism, and favorably influence other cardiometabolic risk factors. These benefits are due to its healthy antioxidant biochemical profile,
3. Spinach
According to studies spinach extract has several beneficial effect on our health and shows significant anti aging properties. The high content of lutein in spinach makes it an anti aging vegetable.
Lutein is known for its photoprotective, hydrating and anti-aging properties. It hydrates and improves skin elasticity. Lutein also protects the skin from the oxidative effect of excessive sun exposure and neutralises the damage caused by free radicals in the epidermis. So including spinach in your diet will help your skin look healthy and younger.
4. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes have unique functional and nutritional properties. The nutritional components consists in different parts of sweet potatoes such as leaves, stems, tubers and stalks include proteins, bioactive carbohydrates, carotenoids, conjugated phenolic acids, anthocyanins, lipids an minerals. Its unique composition and health benefits are becoming are becoming a research focus in recent years. Sweet potatoes have antioxidative, antiinflammatory, hepatoprotective, antimicrobial, antidiabetic and anti aging properties.
5. Green Tea
Tea is the most widely consumed drink after water. Tea is categorized as black tea, green tea and oolong tea depending on the degree of fermentation and the level of antioxidants present in it. As green contains high levels of antioxidants, it is widely used for its antiaging and neuroprotective effects.
Green tea mainly consists of polyphenols, proanthocyanidins, amino acids , theanine, and caffeine. Catechins and flavonols. The anti aging and other health beneficial properties of green tea is due the presence of a group of polyphenol compounds called catachins.
6. Watermelon
Watermelon contains phytochemicals such as, vitamin C, β-carotene and lycopene which possess anti-aging, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Watermelon is one of the few food sources of dietary lycopene. Lycopene is a lipophilic carotenoid with potent antioxidant properties that can neutralize the damage caused by oxidative stress that occur with the advancement of age.
Besides choosing foods that have anti-aging properties, your overall nutrition, exercise regimen and the level of hydration plays an important role in determining the skin health as well as general health.
References
Discovering the link between nutrition and skin aging Silke K. Schagen, 1 , † Vasiliki A. Zampeli, 1 , 2 , † Evgenia Makrantonaki, 1 , 2 and Christos C. Zouboulis 1 ,*
Berries: improving human health and healthy aging, and promoting quality life--a review
Octavio Paredes-López 1, Martha L Cervantes-Ceja, Mónica Vigna-Pérez, Talía Hernández-Pérez
Health Benefits of Nut Consumption in Middle-Aged and Elderly Population Marius Emil Rusu,1 Andrei Mocan,2,3 Isabel C. F. R. Ferreira,4,* and Daniela-Saveta Popa5
Composition, efficacy, and safety of spinach extracts
Liat Lomnitski 1, Margalit Bergman, Abraham Nyska, Varda Ben-Shaul, Shlomo Grossman
Chemical constituents and health effects of sweet potato
Sunan Wang 1, Shaoping Nie 2, Fan Zhu 3
A Review of the Role of Green Tea (Camellia sinensis) in Antiphotoaging, Stress Resistance, Neuroprotection, and Autophagy Mani Iyer Prasanth,1 Bhagavathi Sundaram Sivamaruthi,2 Chaiyavat Chaiyasut,2 and Tewin Tencomnao1,*
Watermelon Juice: a Novel Functional Food to Increase Circulating Lycopene in Older Adult Women Amy C Ellis 1, Tanja Dudenbostel 2, Kristi Crowe-White 3