There are countless skincare products that promise radiant, glowing skin. And they are always marketed using people who really don’t need help with their skin in the first place. While we can debate about the purity of cosmetic ingredients, we instinctively know that physical beauty comes from within, from what we eat and how we digest and absorb our food.
Over the years, research has continually affirmed the message that beauty comes from within. Your diet is the foundation of your skin health, and skin reflects what’s going on inside your body. A recent study and an older study together helped reinforce this message. Foods and vegetables don’t just nourish your body, they also help you have stronger, more elastic skin and a great, attractive glow.
New Proof that Vitamin C-Rich Foods Build Stronger, Younger-Looking Skin
A new study from the University of Otago in New Zealand shows that dietary vitamin C directly enhances skin function. The study, led by Marguerite Vissers, was published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
The research study began with more than two dozen adults from New Zealand and Germany with low plasma vitamin C levels. They were instructed to eat 2 SunGold™ kiwifruits each day for 8 weeks, providing about 250 milligrams of vitamin C per day. Here’s what they found:
- The vitamin C levels in blood plasma were closely correlated with the levels in the skin.
- The vitamin C in the blood penetrated all the layers of the skin, even into the outer epidermal layer.
- There were significant improvements in the skin. The skin was thicker, indicating enhanced collagen production and faster epidermal cell renewal. There was improved elasticity, better UV protection, and overall skin looked better. They used ultrasound tests and other measurements to confirm these changes.
Professor Vissers had this to say about this study: “We were surprised by the tight correlation between plasma vitamin C levels and those in the skin. This was much more marked than in any other organ we have investigated.”
She also noted that topical vitamin C applications, like what is used in many serums, did not work very well. Vitamin C was poorly absorbed into the skin. But vitamin C delivered through the bloodstream was efficiently taken up into the skin from the inside out.
Well, this is the way it’s supposed to work. You eat vitamin C, you’re not supposed to put it on your skin. Vitamin C comes from your food. It enters the bloodstream, and then your body builds healthy skin from the inside out.
In this study, they used kiwifruit, such as SunGold™ kiwifruit, but you can get vitamin C from a variety of fruits and vegetables. Citrus fruits, pineapple, red peppers, bell peppers, and cruciferous vegetables are all good sources of the vitamin C you need to make healthy skin.
Fruit and Vegetable Intake Leads to Beneficial Skin-Color Changes
Well, Vitamin C isn’t the only nutrient that helps build up your skin, of course. Earlier research has shown that carotenoids enhance the appearance of your skin. Carotenoids are the pigments that you find in carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, watermelon, and leafy greens, hiding behind the chlorophyll.
In 2012, a study was published titled “You are what you eat: Within-subject increases in fruit and vegetable consumption confer beneficial skin color changes.” In the study, 35 young Caucasian undergraduates, mostly women, reported their fruit and vegetable intake on a food frequency questionnaire at baseline and again at 3 and 6 weeks. The research team measured skin color at seven body sites using a specialized spectrophotometer set to measure the yellow-to-red portion of the color spectrum.
The results showed that increases in fruit and vegetable intake were associated with beneficial skin changes, including a darker appearance, increased redness, and increased yellowness. The changes aligned very closely with the absorption spectra of the common carotenoids beta-carotene (yellow/orange) and lycopene (red). But melanin, which is the dark pigment in skin, wasn’t correlated with the change at all. The change was due to carotenoids, and it took about six weeks to see the results.
The Yellow-Orange Glow Of Carotenoids Makes Faces More Attractive.
In a second study in the same publication, the researchers used psychophysical methods to determine the amount of color change required for perceptible improvements in a person’s skin color. They found that about 3 additional servings a day made skin look healthier to observers and faces appear more attractive. It was driven by the yellow-orange glow of carotenoids.
The authors concluded from their two studies that just modest increases in fruit and vegetable intake would produce measurable and perceptible beneficial effects on skin appearance.
One takeaway is that if you see someone with really pale white skin, they’re probably not eating enough fruits and vegetables and have a poor diet.
A second takeaway is that if you eat more vegetables, you will have healthy, more attractive skin rather than a pasty white complexion. If you won’t do it for your health, maybe you’ll do it for your vanity. To get the most bang for your vanity buck, eat carrots and sweet potatoes that are really loaded with beta carotene.
A Complete Picture: Physical Beauty Really Does Come From Within
The results from experiments with Vitamin C and fruits and vegetables containing carotenoids show a complementary approach. Vitamin C helps your body build collagen, which improves the firmness, thickness, and elasticity of your skin, while the carotenoids deliver antioxidants that give a natural, healthy glow to your skin at the same time. So not only are you healthier, but you look better and feel better at the same time. It is a great side benefit of a healthy diet.
If you want to up your game a little more than just fruits and vegetables, consider using Hallelujah Diet’s Collagen Booster with Silica.
This product provides key nutrients for skin, nails and hair, including silica in the highly bioavailable form Living Silica® (MMST), along with other supportive nutrients such as vitamin C from camu camu, L-lysine, L-proline, zinc, and magnesium. The ceramide-PCD ingredient helps hydrate the skin, reduces skin roughness and scaliness, and improves overall skin elasticity and texture, as proven in multiple randomized controlled trials. Together, these nutrients help your body produce collagen and elastin for healthier, stronger skin.
Users have often reported that their nails grow faster and chip less, that their hair texture and thickness improve, and that their skin appears better. The capsules are easy to use and a great complement to the “beauty from within” approach of fruits and vegetables.
As Professor Vissers noted, “beauty really does come from within.” By eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and adding a few thoughtful supplements, you’re getting the added benefit of healthy skin along the way.
