24 Health & Wellbeing
Keeping Your Skin Looking Young & Healthy By Heather Smith There is a genetic link to how our skin ages, of course, but there are also other factors which affect how your skin ages. The first factor is stress. Chronic stress will increase blood sugar levels, which correlate with the speed of ageing. Excess cortisol can cause degradation of collagen and connective tissues, both of which will contribute to how your skin looks. Another factor is menopause. Oestradiol levels drop considerably during menopause, which results in drier skin with reduced elasticity and lower collagen content. Looking at the nutrition side of things, we know that a diet high in grains and gluten can weaken connective tissue. We know that eating sufficient good quality fat is a good thing for reducing age related skin dryness. Eating a good variety of vegetables is always a good thing, and low intakes of vitamin C have been significantly associated with the prevalence of wrinkles, due to its involvement in making collagen.
Overall, higher intakes of antioxidant rich veg is thought to reduce the effect of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGEs are proteins or fats which become glycated, and are something we want to reduce our exposure to as they can make collagen lose flexibility and become more susceptible to damage. AGEs can also damage elastin which can lead to sagging and wrinkled skin. AGEs are also associated with liver spots on the skin. Regularly eating food exposed to high and dry heat contributes to production of AGEs, with things like crackers and cookies being shown to be the biggest producers. Marinating your food in lemon juice or vinegar for a few hours before cooking can reduce AGEs by about 90%, which is pretty good going! Also consider steaming most of your food. Smoking, sun damage and a generally poor diet high in sugar will also contribute significantly to AGEs. Heather Smith is a fat loss specialist Personal Trainer. Get in touch for a free five-day meal plan www.fitbiztraining.co.uk
