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The skin is the largest organ in the human body and needs to last throughout our lives.
In addition to keeping us looking young and well-groomed, our skin also actively benefits our overall health. But, as it is the barrier between our body and the outside world, it suffers a lot of wear and tear.
Many environmental factors contribute to skin aging, such as air pollution, ozone and climate change, according to dermatology professor Jean Krutmann of the Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine.
"For decades we have imagined that ultraviolet radiation was the main cause of skin aging for environmental reasons. We know that this is not true," he explains.
"Other wavelengths contained in natural sunlight may contribute to aging, such as visible light and infrared radiation." And even an increase in temperature can contribute to the process, according to the professor.
And there is simply time. As we age, we gradually lose collagen, the protein that provides our skin's structure, which can cause wrinkles.
An overlooked factor that can help keep our skin in better shape is our diet. From healthy fats to fermented foods that are good for the intestine, here are several items that should be included in our diet.
1. Colorful vegetables, fruits and vegetables
Numerous research indicates that a diet rich in foods of plant origin is important for keeping our skin healthy.
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Therefore, it is worth looking for colorful greens, fruits and vegetables, as they contain powerful antioxidants, which help protect the skin against damage caused by pollution and sunlight.
Carrots, peppers and tomatoes are rich in carotenoids, such as lutein, lycopene and beta-carotene.
"They are stored in adipose tissue and protect against ultraviolet rays," explains professor of food chemistry Volker Böhm from the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, Germany.
Sunscreen remains important, but Böhm says people tend to apply it during prolonged exposure outdoors, not every day.
Regular consumption of carotenoid-rich foods provides "a continuous basic UV protection factor of about 2 to 3, year-round," he explains.
Adding a small amount of healthy fat, such as olive oil, to your tomatoes or carrots helps your body absorb these antioxidants more easily.
Beta-carotene can also be transformed into vitamin A, which is important for skin cell growth and protection against infections.
Carotenoids can help skin cells produce hyaluronic acid. This molecule helps maintain skin firmness and elasticity and is found in many commercially available humectants and "anti-aging" creams.
The same pigments can also help stimulate collagen.
One small study indicated that women who took a daily carotenoid supplement for 10 months exhibited increased collagen and elastin in their skin, suggesting that it may help prevent collagen breakdown.
Eating lots of colorful greens, fruits, and vegetables has also been found to create "glow" and give your skin a healthier appearance.
To get these benefits, you need to eat these foods consistently, according to Krutmann.
"Whatever antioxidant you are eating, to have protection against environmental effects, it typically takes eight to 10 weeks to achieve noticeable effects."
Mango has been found to keep skin looking younger as we age.
In a study of postmenopausal women, carried out by Vivien Fam, from the University of California at Davis, in the United States, participants ate 85 g of mango four times a week, over 16 weeks. The researchers concluded that the size of pre-existing wrinkles decreased, as well as the appearance of new wrinkles.
More research is needed, but researchers speculate that the beneficial effects may be due to carotenoids, in addition to the antioxidants flavonoids and mangiferin.
Surprisingly, the study concluded that eating around 250 g of mango a day increased wrinkles.
One of the authors of the research, nutrition professor Robert Hackman, also from the University of California at Davis, says that it is not known for sure why this happened, but it may be due to the mango's high natural sugar content.
“Our proposal is that the sugar created some damage to the skin molecules,” explains Hackhan. And although the study was small, subsequent unpublished research replicated the results, he said.
Mango and citrus fruits are also rich in vitamin C, which helps with collagen production and also acts as an antioxidant, which can protect the skin against sun damage.
Studies indicate that vitamin C can help increase skin hydration and reduce pigmentation. Therefore, this vitamin is widely used in skin care products and as a supplement, according to Krutmann.
2. Healthy fats
Normally, I'm not a fan of walnuts and almonds. But I started chopping them and adding them to salads, which I liked much more than I expected.
I started doing this because eating nuts and seeds in good quantities can benefit our skin.
A small randomized controlled trial found that people who ate almonds for 16 weeks had fewer visible wrinkles compared to those who ate other types of snacks.
Vitamin E, abundant in nuts and seeds, can also protect the skin against cell damage and aging.
A deficiency in this vitamin can harm skin health and delay wound healing. And good sources include almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts and many oilseeds.
Walnuts also contain omega-6 fatty acids, which can strengthen the skin's moisture barrier.
Another type of healthy fat that we know is good for our skin is omega-3, found in oily fish and algae.
Fish rich in omega-3s include salmon, sardines and mackerel. Small studies suggest that they may reduce skin sensitivity to the Sun and therefore help protect against sun damage.
Fatty fish also helps preserve existing collagen and reduce inflammation.
3. Foods that are beneficial for the intestine
When our diet is varied and rich in fresh produce, nuts and seeds, the microbes in our intestines benefit and, with them, our skin.
This is because there is a complex connection between the skin and gut health. Researchers call this relationship the "gut-skin axis."
When we eat diverse foods of plant origin, intestinal microbes release compounds with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. They also affect our skin, according to Hackman.
Healthy gut microbiota can also improve skin conditions by strengthening our immune system.
One way to achieve these benefits is to eat a wide variety of plant foods.
They include fruits, vegetables, legumes, legumes, whole grains, herbs and spices, which can reduce stress, improve sleep and protect against skin conditions such as psoriasis.
Fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha and yogurt, are also particularly beneficial for gut microbes.
You may not look 30 years old when you're in your 60s, but a healthy diet will help your skin stay healthy throughout the years.
And also don't forget to apply sunscreen.
* Melissa Hogenboom is a BBC journalist specializing in health. She can be found on Instagram as melissa_hogenboom.
Read the original version of this report (in English) on the BBC Health website.
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