Almost everyone wants to look youthful and attractive. The world of skin care has thousands of products on the market, but the majority do not work and even those that do only have a transient response on skin.
Moreover, the world of skin care and cosmetics is exorbitantly expensive and fails to live up to its promise. So far no one has come up with an anti-aging pill that really works.
However, now some Scottish researchers indicate that one may not have to look far to look young -- just change your diet.
Eating is Mother Nature’s way to give you a glowing complexion that will last as long as you eat the right foods, is cheaper than plastic surgery and is free of side effects.
These researchers observed that fair-skinned individuals who eat fruits and certain vegetables develop a healthy glow of skin. In fact the greater the amount of fruits and vegetables consumed, the better the healthy hue. (1)
It is claimed that the healthy glow is derived from foods which are rich in antioxidants. In this study the researchers noticed that the improvement in skin’s overall tone and texture was rapid. After six weeks, noticeable skin redness and yellowness were seen in people who consumed diets rich in fruits and vegetables.
It is believed that the carotenoids found in the fruits and vegetables may play a role in the fresh skin tone. The foods associated with this skin benefit were sweet potatoes, carrots, green vegetables (spinach and kale) apricots and squash.
Unfortunately the study was done in only 35 young people and it is not known if the same skin changes are seen in middle-aged or older individuals. It is also not known if these findings are seen in people with darker skin complexions. The study did not look to see if these benefits were sustained if the diet was discontinued.
I personally feel that there are many more factors involved in aging and texture of skin. While this study is not ground breaking, there is no harm in eating fruits and vegetables, and if the lucky few develop a nice skin tone, then good for them. (2) It sure beats undergoing expensive cosmetic surgery which has no guarantee of a good result but carries a real risk of serious complications.
Sources:
1. Whitehead RD. You Are What You Eat: Within-Subject Increases in Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Confer Beneficial Skin-Color Changes
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0032988
2. Reboul E. Effect of the main dietary antioxidants (carotenoids, gamma-tocopherol, polyphenols, and vitamin C) on alpha-tocopherol absorption.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17268411
Reviewed March 19, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith