Fight Wrinkles with Diet?
Who wouldn’t like to avoid wrinkles? If you’re hoping for smooth skin as you age, take a look at your diet, a new study suggests.
The study included more than 4,000 women ages 40-74. It used a 24-hour dietary recall to assess people’s diets, and trained dermatologists to assess the women’s skin for signs of aging.
The researchers found that a high intake of vitamin C-rich foods was associated with less chance of having wrinkled, dry skin, while foods high in linoleic acid were associated with moister, thicker skin.
Vitamin C is needed to make collagen, a connective tissue that provides structure to the skin. It’s also needed for skin repair, and protects from sun damage. Linoleic acid reduces dermatitis and dryness.
Foods rich in vitamin C include citrus fruits, red peppers, strawberries, kiwi, guava, Brussels sprouts and green peppers. The best sources of linoleic acid are safflower, sunflower and soy oil.
Researchers also found that women with a higher fat and carbohydrate intake were more likely to have wrinkles and thin skin, perhaps because of impaired microcirculation and oxygen delivery to skin cells. High insulin and blood sugar levels can also damage skin cells, so limiting your intake of sugars and simple carbs may help, as well as managing diabetes appropriately, if you have it. And of course, smoking ages skin beyond what diet can repair. (Cosgrove, MC et al, Am J Clin Nutr, 2007 Oct;86(4):1225-31.)
