The Skin’s Nutritional Requirements

 

With the summer holiday season close by it is only natural to want to look your best. In this case it is good to know that what we eat does not only affect us on the inside but it also the outside – evident in our skin.

 

Your skin is an organ of your body like many others, and to maintain its healthy look needs three things in particular:

 

·         Vitamins for Vitality

Fruit and vegetables are filled with vitamins and minerals that are have beneficial properties for your skin. For instance yellow /orange/red fruit and vegetable like carrots, pumpkins, yellow/red peppers and tomatoes are good sources of carotenoids, which are the precursor of the vitamin A, an essential vitamin for skin cells growth. These foods are also rich in vitamin C, which is necessary for the production of collagen, a protein that gives skin its elasticity. Optimal Intake of vitamin C has been associated to better skin-aging appearances and protection from UV rays. Other good sources of vitamin C are leafy green vegetables (such as spinach, broccoli and rocket), and red fruit (such as tomatoes and strawberries).

 

·         Omega 3 for Moisture

Fish such as salmon, fresh tuna, kippers, pilchards and mackerel are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 is a type of unsaturated fat the helps maintain the skin’s suppleness and moisture. Omega 3 fatty acids are also observed to have a protective effect against UV rays, which can be the cause of the development of skin cancer. Additionally there is also some limited evidence that Omega- 3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties that may reduce inflammation on the skin that causes redness and acne.

 

·         Water for Hydration

Skin cells, like any other cells in the body are made of water. It is important to drink enough water to maintain body functions and in the case of skin cells, insufficient water intake can cause dryness, which makes the skin more prone to wrinkling. The water you drink reaches your skin only after have reached all the other vital organs in your body, so it can be easy to have dehydrated skin. Try sipping water throughout the day to avoid dehydration: the recommendations on water intake in Ireland are about 8-10 cups/day, while in UK is 6-8 cups a day, however you might need more if you exercise or if the weather is warm.

 

Protect your skin from damaging UV rays

 

It is now summertime and the sun is finally shining so it is good to remember to wear your sunscreen when you are outside. UV rays have been proven to damage skin’s cellular DNA, causing skin cancer. The regular use of an SPF 15 or higher broad-spectrum sunscreen can reduces the risk of developing a skin melanoma (a type of skin cancer) by 50% and the risk of premature skin aging by 24%. Even though the sun at our latitudes seems less aggressive than in other European countries we are exposed to UV rays from April to September. Do not let the cloudy weather trick you: clouds tend to block more visible light rather than the damaging UV rays, which means we are exposed to the sun even when we do not think we are!

 

Despite what you just read, sun is not all bad: it is in fact the best source of vitamin D, which is fundamental for bone’s heath and for the optimal status of our immune system.

 

The World Health Organisation advice is to get 5 - 15 minutes of casual sun exposure to hands, face and arms two to three times a week during the summer months, in order to have the optimal intake of vitamin D throughout the all year.  Once you had your 5-15 minute exposure, remember to apply sunscreen, as being exposed more than that will not increase your vitamin D production, but only the risk of developing skin cancer.