Nutrition and Lifestyle

What factors affect your skin’s health?

Your age, genetics, lifestyle, overall health, physical activity, environment (physical, chemical, emotional), the cumulative effects of sun damage and your diet.

I firmly believe that ‘We are what we eat’!

From a nutritional perspective, dietary factors that support skin health are also, unsurprisingly, supportive of your overall health and wellbeing! What follows is a general summary of nutritional recommendations that support skin health. For those of you with specific skin conditions, a full health and dietary assessment is recommended to provide you with individually targeted advice.

Here are my top general recommendations:

1.     Keep hydrated and aim for between 8-10 glasses of fluid, preferably from water, intake per day.1 Water is required for almost all body functions, carry’s nutrients and oxygen to the cells, helps eliminate wastes, supports the maintenance of cell integrity and moisturises the skin to maintain its texture and appearance.1

2.     Avoid pro-inflammatory foods! This includes foods high in sugar and refined carbohydrates, foods high in saturated fats, soft drinks, excessive alcohol, red meat and processed meats and trans-fats and oils.2,3 Pro-inflammatory food chemicals impact the health and appearance of the skin through negative effects on cell integrity, oxidative stress, glycation of collagen fibres and impaired skin healing.4-6

3.     Make your plate a rainbow. Increase your dietary intake and eat a variety of plant-based foods that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and pulses. These foods are packed with vitamins, minerals, mono-unsaturated fats, bio-flavonoids, plant sterols, polyphenols, essential fatty acids and fibre.5,7  Some of the key foods that support skin health include green tea (high in polyphenols), walnuts (omega -3 fatty acids), dark, green leafy vegetables and orange coloured fruits and vegetables (carotenoids), fruits and vegetables (vitamin C), nuts and seeds (vitamin E and zinc).8-17

4.     Include high quality protein such as fish, lean white meat, low fat dairy, eggs, soy protein, legumes and pulses to support structural tissue integrity.

5.     Regularly consume omega-6 and omega-3 rich foods such as walnuts, flax seeds and salmon to support components of skin structure, maintenance, wound healing and provide potent anti-inflammatory actions.8

Lifestyle and Environmental Factors

Think back to the last time you were on a holiday – pre 2020! Spending leisurely days with family or friends, enjoying yourself, falling into bed relaxed and sleeping well, waking up feeling refreshed and anticipating another good day. If you look back at those holiday photos, your skin was probably glowing in good health. Why?

Well, with less stress and more physical activity you were probably sleeping better for a start. Stress and poor sleep have negative effects on skin health and appearance.

What are some of the other environmental and lifestyle factors that aren’t great for our skin?

Smoking

Obesity

Pollution

UV and Ionizing Radiation

Chemical and environmental factors

All of these factors contribute to oxidative stress which is implicated in skin disease development, structural degradation of the skin tissue matrix (collagen and elastin) and skin ageing.18

What can you do?  Address the factors that you can change and adopt positive lifestyle habits such as regular exercise and good sleep patterns. Be kind to yourself and try and regularly include things in your day, or week, that you enjoy. The new year is a great time to implement healthier nutrition and lifestyle factors into your life!

References

1.     Australian Dietary Guidelines. Accessed 1 Aug 2020, Available from: https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au

2.     Foods that fight inflammation. Harvard Health Publishing. Accessed 1 August 2020, Available from: https://www.health.harvard.edu

3.     Perricone N. 2004. The Perricone Prescription. Harper Collins, NY, USA.

4.     Wahlqvist M. 2011. Food & Nutrition.3rd Edition. Allen & Unwin, NSW, Australia

5.     Dattola A, Silvestri M, Bennardo L, et al. Role of Vitamins in Skin Health: a Systematic Review. Curr Nutr Rep. 2020;9(3):226-235. doi:10.1007/s13668-020-00322-45 –

6.     Katta R, Desai SP. Diet and dermatology: the role of dietary intervention in skin disease. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2014;7(7):46-51.  

7.     Wu J. Anti-inflammatory ingredients. J Drugs Dermatol. 2008;7(7 Suppl):s13-s16.

8.     McCusker M et al. Healing fats of the skin: the structural and immunological roles of omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids. Clin Derm. Jul-Aug 2010, 28(4): 440-51.

9.      Roh E, Kim JE, Kwon JY, et al. Molecular mechanisms of green tea polyphenols with protective effects against skin photoaging. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2017;57(8):1631-1637. doi:10.1080/10408398.2014.1003365

10.  Hsu, Stephen. "Green tea and the skin." J Am Acad Dermatol. 2005;52(6):1049-1059.

11.  Katiyar, SK, Ahmad N, Mukhtar H. "Green tea and skin." Arch Dermatol. 2000;136(8): 989-994.

12.  Gianeti, MD, Daiane G, Mercurio, and Patricia MBG Maia Campos. "The use of green tea extract in cosmetic formulations: not only an antioxidant active ingredient." Dermatol therapy. 2013; 26(3): 267-271.

13.  Purba MB, Kouris-Blazos A, Wattanapenpaiboon N, et al. Skin wrinkling: can food make a difference? J Am Coll Nutr. 2001;20:71-80. 

14.  Cosgrove MC, Franco OH, Granger SP, Murray PG, Mayes AE. Dietary nutrient intakes and skin-aging appearance among middle-aged American women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;86:1225-1231.

15.  Shindo Y, et al. Enzymic and non-enzymic antioxidants in epidermis and dermis of human skin. J Invest Dermatol. 1994;102:122-124.

16.  Rinnerthaler M, Bischof J, Streubel MK, Trost A, Richter K. Oxidative stress in aging human skin. Biomolecules. 2015;5(2):545-589.

17.  Park K. Role of micronutrients in skin health and function. Biomol Ther (Seoul). 2015;23(3):207-217.

18.  MSD Manual Professional Edition. Skin. Accessed 8 September 2020. Available from: https://www.msdmanuals.com