There’s an old saying: ‘Healthy skin starts from within’. No single beauty products maker or spa chain has a copyright on it. But it’s so entrenched in our culture that many have used it. Now there’s scien-tific proof backing up at least one dietary skin care claim…
Though the are many other rich natural sources of Vitamin C,
the orange is still considered its iconic symbol…
Forget the creams and lotions…
… Eat your skin to better health! New science suggests you can get better results from eating foods high in vitamin C than you can from all the retinol, hyaluronic acid, alpha hydroxys, peptides, and ceramides in any of today’s heavily advertised skin creams costing $10 to $400…
A direct connection
Scientists at the University of Otago Faculty of Medicine (New Zealand) have identified a direct con-nection between how much vitamin C people eat and how well their skin produces collagen and renews itself. The findings show that skin health responds measurably to dietary vitamin C, not just topical treatments.
What they did
Researchers asked study participants to eat two kiwifruit daily for eight weeks. This provided the equivalent of 250 micrograms per day of vitamin C.
“We collected skin samples before and after the intervention, with separate analyses allowing us to look at the skin basal layers in Christchurch and the outer dermal skin layer and skin function tests in Germany,” study lead author Professor Margreet Vissers explains.
What they found
Participants who raised their plasma vitamin C levels by eating two vitamin C rich kiwifruit each day showed a clear increase in vitamin C within their skin. This increase was associated with thicker skin (collagen production) and greater renewal of the outer skin layer.
“We were surprised by the tight correlation between [blood] plasma vitamin C levels and those in the skin — this was much more marked than in any other organ we have investigated,” she says.
The team also found that vitamin C circulating in the bloodstream reaches every layer of the skin and supports healthier skin function in many ways.
The takeaway
According to an abstract of the study report, “Vitamin C is essential for collagen production, which is why it is commonly added to [topical] skincare products. However, vitamin C dissolves easily in water and does not absorb well through the outer skin barrier.
“The study showed that skin cells are highly efficient at absorbing vitamin C from the blood, with up-take into the outer epidermal layer appearing to be a priority.”
My take
So now we’re probably going to be bombarded with ads telling us how good any food containing vitamin C is for our skin. But I think it’s safe to say we can disregard the processed food makers’ siren songs about supplementation. I’m going to continue getting my C via fresh fruit in the morning.
Oranges are great, as we said. But nutritionists tell us all citrus fruits are rich sources of C, along with (as noted in the study) kiwis, strawberries, bell peppers, and cruciferous veggies (such as broccoli, cauliflower and Kale).
~ Maggie J.