Food and your skin: can certain foods stave off wrinkles?

by Mary Calvagna

Food and skin Every time you look in the mirror, do you see them? They slowly appear as tiny laugh lines around the corners of your mouth. Sometimes, they show up as lines running along your forehead. Or perhaps, they crop up as little crow's feet at the edge of your eyes. Known collectively as wrinkles, they are among the first tell-tale signs of aging.

Like taxes and death, everyone will experience wrinkles—some people, however, will get more wrinkles and get them at an earlier age than others. Past research has focused on what can cause wrinkles and why some people may wrinkle more and earlier than others. Studies have looked at sun exposure, cigarette smoking, water intake, and food.

Can the food you eat really affect the way your skin looks? A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition suggests that food nourishes not only your body, but also your skin.

Researchers studied the diets of more than 400 adults living in Greece, Australia, and Sweden. Eating patterns were estimated for the previous year and foods were grouped into 10 major categories. Skin was studied for sun damage and graded according to a six-step scale. Researchers adjusted the data for age and for smoking, which itself has been shown to increase premature skin aging.

The authors found that skin wrinkling may be influenced by the types of food people eat. High intakes of vegetables, olive oil, and legumes appeared to be protective against skin damage, while high intakes of meat, dairy, and sugar products appeared to increase skin damage.

The skin undergoes a large amount of oxidative stress in the course of day-to-day living. This can lead to wrinkling. Research has shown that antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E and beta carotene, can help protect the body from oxidative damage caused by free radicals (unstable oxygen molecules). The study authors suspect that certain foods offered the skin extra protection because they contain high levels of antioxidants.

In addition to eating healthful foods, there are other things you can do to protect your skin from damage and wrinkling. The American Academy of Dermatology offers some tips to help keep your skin healthy and young looking.

• Stop smoking—smoking causes premature aging and wrinkling of the face.
• Wash your face every day and always use a moisturizer. The best time to apply a moisturizer to the skin is immediately following a bath or shower.
• Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. This will help keep your skin hydrated.
• Stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.—the suns rays are strongest during these hours. When in the sun, wear a 4-inch-wide broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses with UV protective lenses.
• Use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or greater, even on cloudy days. Apply the sunscreen 20 minutes prior to sun exposure and reapply every two hours.