Secret Skin Anti-Aging Nutrients

These skin anti-aging nutrients play a dramatic role in slowing our aging process and make us look and feel younger. But you have to keep in mind that longer lasting youth (nobody can guarantee you “everlasting” one) is not a project, it is a lifestyle; and the food you eat is a major part of it.

Regardless of our age, getting compliments on how ageless we look certainly warms our hearts. Women place a big emphasis on their appearance and well-being. Some nutrients play a dramatic role in slowing our aging process and make us look and feel younger.

Despite advertising claims, almost all available topical formulations have only temporarily effects and contain very low concentrations of antioxidants that are not well absorbed by the skin.

Foods? Cosmetic creams? Both?

Have you ever thought about your skin as the largest organ in your body? Probably not. Automatically, we think about skin of our face. However, for the average adult human, the skin has a surface area of between 1.5-2.0 square metres (16.1-21.5 sq. ft.). When we are getting older, our skin does the same, everywhere – on our butt and on our face. So, the solution is to put a cream on your face and pants on your butt. No, it’s not that simple.

Traditionally, anti-aging creams have been designed to reduce or diminish the effects of aging: many of them hide the effects of aging while others claim to alter the body’s chemical balances to slow the physical effects of aging. The truth is that despite great demand, many such cosmetic products and treatments have not been proven to give lasting or major positive effects. One study found that the best performing creams reduced wrinkles by less than 10% over 12 weeks which is not noticeable to the human eye. Another study found that cheap moisturizers were as effective as high-priced anti-wrinkle creams. So, the choice is yours.

Secret Skin Anti-Aging Nutrients

The topic that currently attracts maximum attention is ways to maintain healthy skin and delay skin aging.

Beautiful, glowing skin starts with what we eat, but these anti-aging nutrients can also help improve your overall health in many different ways:

Vitamin A

Vitamin A benefits the skin by normalizing keratinization, downregulating sebum production which contributes to acne, and reversing and treating photo-damage, stretch marks, and cellulite.

Foods rich in vitamin A: Foods with vitamin A include: liver, eggs, milk, red peppers, pumpkin, carrots, apricots, cantaloupe, and sweet potatoes. Other good sources of vitamin A are leafy greens. No, that wasn’t a mistake – the orange pigment hides beneath green-tinted chlorophyll.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is used to downregulate the cutaneous immune system and epithelial proliferation while promoting differentiation. Very few foods contain vitamin D. Sunlight exposure is the primary source of vitamin D for people. Dermal synthesis of vitamin D from cholesterol in the skin under the sun is the major natural source of this vitamin. Fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel and sardines, eggs, mushrooms are good prerequisites for the vitamin D formation.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an antioxidant that regulates collagen synthesis, forms barrier lipids and provides photoprotection.

Foods rich in vitamin C: The richest natural sources of vitamin C are fruits and vegetables, and of those, the Kakadu plum and the camu-camu fruit contain the highest concentration of the vitamin. Then follow rose hips, red bell pepper, parsley, broccoli, strawberry, blueberry, papaya, orange, kale, and pineapple. It is also present in some cuts of meat, especially liver.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is a membrane antioxidant that protects against oxidative damage and also provides protection against harmful UV rays.

Foods rich in vitamin E: Vitamin E can be found most abundantly in wheat germ oil, sunflower seeds, safflower oil, corn oil, almonds, avocado and papaya. But don’t go crazy with vitamin E because regular consumption of more than 1,000mg of it per day may cause hypervitaminosis E, with an associated risk of vitamin K deficiency and consequently of bleeding problems.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K can improve your skin and prevent wrinkles because it plays a key role in solving the calcification problems that harden arteries and affect the connective elastin that keeps your skin soft and subtle. Without adequate vitamin K in your diet, calcium can be deposited in your skin’s elastin fibers and harden to cause wrinkles. It also can help treat a variety of skin conditions such as spider veins, stretch marks, scars, skin irritations, and dark circles under the eyes. However, applying vitamin K to the surface of the skin won’t make spider veins disappear, you have to enrich your diet with vitamin K.

Foods rich in vitamin K: leafy green vegetables such as spinach, Swiss chard, lettuce, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, avocado, kiwifruit and grapes. Two tablespoons of parsley contain 153% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin K.

TIP: The absorption of vitamin K is greater when accompanied by fats such as butter or oils.

Zinc

Foods with zinc make your skin soft and smooth and help reducing acne, even as effectively as antibiotics. Zinc assists in the proper structure of proteins and cell membranes, improves wound healing, and has anti-inflammatory effects.

Zinc-rich foods: Dietary zinc is best absorbed from animal sources. Oysters, lobster and red meats, especially beef, lamb and liver have some of the highest concentrations of zinc in food. Zinc is also found in beans, nuts, almonds, whole grains, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and blackcurrant, but it is less bioavailable as the zinc is bound to phytates.

Sulfur

Sulfur is well-known for its anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. When used in skin care, sulfur works to absorb excess oil that causes acne by drying out the surface of the skin and unclogging pores.

Sulfur-rich foods: Eggs contain the highest amounts of sulphur. Eat it and apply it on your face and you’ll look youthful for many years. Onions and garlic are also good reserves of sulphur. That is why onion juice is said to be one of the most effective remedies for acne and dandruff.

Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are among the must-have foods for healthy skin because they are responsible for the health of the cell membrane, which is not only a barrier to harmful things, but also the passageway for nutrients to cross in and waste products to get out. Thanks to membranes, the skin cells are able to hold water and maintain healthy metabolism resulting in softer, more subtle, and more wrinkle-free skin.

Foods rich in Omega-3s: The foods highest in omega-3 fatty acids include fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines), and seafood as well as walnuts, canola oil, and flax seed.

Curcumin

Curcumin is the main active compound in turmeric.

Curcumin has been shown to slow aging by activating certain proteins and protecting against cellular damage. It protects against the deleterious effects of injury by attenuating oxidative stress and suppressing inflammation. Turmeric works as a skin lightening agent. It reduces the excess melanin production and lightens your skin tone. Adding turmeric to your skincare – as a face mask mixed with honey or yogurt – can brighten your skin tone and reduce any kind of dark spots and pigmentation. Just remember not to leave it on for too long as turmeric can leave some yellow coloring if used in this direct way.

Collagen

Collagen is a protein that helps maintain skin structure. Collagen works with other substances, such as hyaluronic acid and elastin, to maintain skin elasticity, volume, and moisture. It also helps make up keratin – protein that forms skin, hair, and nails. As you age, the production of collagen slows, leading to accelerated signs of aging like wrinkles.

Collagen-rich foods: The science says eating collagen-rich foods can help your body make more of its own collagen. Top collagen-rich foods to include in your diet are: beef or pork bone broth, skin-on chicken, sardines, organ meats, berries, and broccoli. Cinnamon boosts collagen production and aids in the regeneration of cells. It also delivers a heavy dose of antioxidants to the skin so that the skin is protected from free radical damage.

Resveratrol

Resveratrol is an antioxidant, natural polyphenol that fights against the free radicals that create the effects of aging in the skin. Resveratrol is abundant in the skin of grapes (but not in the flesh). Red wine is a good source of resveratrol. Also, you can add resveratrol to your diet by eating foods like peanuts, blueberries, raspberries, and mulberries. A 2018 study put this notion into action and found that applying resveratrol topically significantly improved fine lines, wrinkles, and elasticity in just 12 weeks.

*****

Whatever you do, you can’t stop aging because it is an inevitable part of life. But you can hold onto our youthfulness for as long as possible by including foods with these skin anti-aging nutrients to your weekly menu. It’ll slow the aging process and promote a long, healthy life.