It’s probably not a surprise to hear that a nutritious diet keeps your inner self slim, strong, and healthy. But what many of us may not know is how diet impacts the outer self – namely your skin.
Your skin is an organ, just like your heart and liver. Your body uses the nutrients in the food you eat to build, maintain, and repair your other organs, as it does for your skin. Simply put, nutrition is the foundation of an effective anti-aging skincare regimen.
Now, your diet can’t completely erase the toll that time and the environment have taken on your complexion. But, if you’re unhappy with dull, sagging, or discolored skin — here’s what you should eat to help you get the clearest, most radiant skin possible.
Omega-3
There’s a specific type of fat you should get plenty of; omega-3. The benefits omega 3 has for overall health cannot be overstated. Your body is a confluence of 37 trillion cells, and every single one of them depends on omega-3 to stay healthy. (1)
When it comes to your skin, omega-3 raises the concentration of IGF-1, an anabolic hormone that triggers collagen production. Collagen is the support structure of your ligaments, bones, and really your entire body – and of course, your skin. Increasing collagen concentration improves skin firmness, which lessens the appearance of wrinkles and helps diminish any fine lines formed by time. (2)
Along with increasing collagen concentration, omega-3 potentially helps reduce the damage caused by the environment. A double-blind, randomized study showed that taking omega-3 increased the amount of sun exposure time without burning compared to the group taking a placebo. (3)
Now, we’re not recommending replacing sunscreen with omega-3 but increasing your consumption may positively impact protecting your skin from sun damage.
Within your skin’s cells, there’s a DNA component called telomeres. Telomeres play a critical role in the cellular division and cellular replication process. As we age, telomeres shorten and lose their ability to protect and maintain skin cells. The more omega-3 fatty acids in your blood, the slower your telomeres age. (4)
The Most Convenient Source Of Omega-3
Omega-3 can be found in a few plant sources like Brussels sprouts, spinach, broccoli, chia seeds, flaxseeds, and walnuts, but seafood is the best source. If you’re like many Americans, and the taste of fish does not appeal to you, or eating a large amount of seafood required to get the optimal benefits isn’t possible, try getting your omega-3s in supplement form.
Stonehenge Health’s Dynamic Krill Oil contains 320mg of combined omega-3 DHA and EPA, ensuring your body gets more than enough to thrive, not to mention seeing firmer, more radiant skin.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is known to play a critical role in increasing collagen production.
Collagen protein is made from a unique change of amino acids synthesized by other nutrients that include vitamin C. Collagen protein synthesis can’t happen without vitamin C in the mix. (5)
Vitamin C concentration within your skin naturally declines with time, explaining partially why your skin sags and becomes less firm with age. The sun’s UV rays and environmental pollution also decrease the level of vitamin C in your skin.
Increasing vitamin C through your diet and, by extension, collagen production helps repair damaged, and photoaged skin and helps improve elasticity.
Citrus, berries, and vegetables like broccoli all contain vitamin C. However, a study on 16,000 Americas showed that one in three of us are still vitamin C deficient. Because even a moderate vitamin C deficiency can lead to dry skin and a reduction in collagen synthesis, along with an impaired immune system, consider taking a high-quality daily supplement like Stonehenge Health’s Dynamic Liposomal Vitamin C.
This formula contains a potent daily dose of 1,500 mg of fat-soluble and highly bioavailable vitamin C. Dynamic Liposomal Vitamin C efficiently replenishes your daily need and may help you achieve more subtle, glowing skin.
Sources:
1. Bianconi E, et al. 2019. “An Estimation Of The Number Of Cells In The Human Body.” – PubMed – NCBI . ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ 23829164
2. Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 Increases Synthesis of Collagen Type I via Induction of the mRNA-binding Protein LARP6 Expression and Binding to the 5′ Stem-loop of COL1a1 and COL1a2 mRNA – PubMed – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3953245/
3. Effect of eicosapentaenoic acid, an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, on UVR-related cancer risk in humans. An assessment of early genotoxic markers – Oxford Academic – academic.oup.com/carcin/article/24/5/919/2390522
4. The role of telomeres in the ageing of human skin – PubMed – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3690281/
5. Effect of vitamin C and its derivatives on collagen synthesis and cross-linking by normal human fibroblasts – PubMed – pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18505499/
6. Multivitamin/mineral supplement contribution to micronutrient intakes in the United States, 2007-2010 – PubMed – pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24724766/
