Skin Care Diet

We all know the age old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” but what sort of truth does this really hold for our skin? Of course, many of us are conscious of time’s decaying effect on skin, and a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition has examined the connection between wrinkling, geographic location, and diet! With a study consisting of participants over the age of 70 from countries such as Australia, Greece, Japan, and Sweden, it came as no surprise that those with diets high in dairy, processed meats, butter, ice cream, full-fat milk, and soft drinks experienced a higher rate of wrinkles.

Evidence suggests the sugar in these food products led to the deterioration of the skin’s health, resulting in the unsightly wrinkles. As found in the study, the more sugar a person consumed, the more likely their skin was to deteriorate. EVMAN product developer Valerie Patton explains. "The collagen in your skin is what provides the framework for your skin, blood vessels, bones, etc. It is continually breaking down and re-synthesizing itself. Under conditions where there is oxidative stress (free radicals) and continual exposure to sugar in the body, a glycation reaction occurs where the collagen becomes bound to the sugar. At the beginning, this reaction can be reversed. Over long-term exposure, the reaction becomes a little more permanent and it cannot be reversed.The end results are called Advanced Glycation End-products, or AGEs. Over time, your skin, blood vessels, and other organs are affected by the lower amounts of collagen, since it can no longer do what it's supposed to do - provide support. In addition to making skin appear older, it can also be catastrophic where other inflammatory diseases of the skin and body are involved."

This of course, begs the question: what kinds of foods prevent deterioration of skin? Research has discovered naturally-occurring foods low in sugar and high in antioxidants are the best to prevent wrinkles; diets high in olive oil, olives, leafy greens, yogurt, legumes, apples, pears, nuts, and water were the best to keep skin intact. And while the study remained inconclusive as to whether or not these foods, in combination with others, could prevent skin damage, the fact the wrinkle culprits were discovered is a huge development!

So the saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” is sure true on this factor – not only will it keep the doctor away, but it’ll also keep the wrinkles at bay!