Wrinkles vs Food

People who consume certain foods will tend to see more wrinkles appearing, suggests one international study carried out by researchers from Australia, Greece and Sweden. They studied more than 400 elderly people who were divided into roughly half Australians, a quarter Greek and a quarter Swedish subjects. The elderly participants took part in the International Union of Nutritional Sciences IUNS “Food Habits in Later Life” study where their dietary intakes were measured and skin was assessed.

The researchers noted that while free radical damage to the skin can occur when it is exposed to the sun, there are also some foods in particular that can hasten skin wrinkling. But the good news is there are certain nutrients found in various food sources that will help prevent sun damage to the skin.

Here are some of the alleged foes and friends of skin wrinkles :

FOES (Wrinkle promoters) — red meat (especially processed varieties), dairy products (e.g. full-fat milk, butter, margarine), ice cream, potatoes, cordials, soft drinks, cakes and pastries.

FRIENDS — water, tea, legumes (especially lima beans and broad or fava beans), olive, eggplant, cherries, melon, dried fruits/prunes, apples, pears, nuts, garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, celery, multigrain bread, green leafy vegetables (e.g. spinach).

Participants who have a high intake of vegetables, legumes and olive oil appeared to be protected against damage while a high intake of meat, dairy and butter appeared to have adverse effects.

Nutrients that prevent wrinkle formation include monosaturated fat, vitamin C, retinol, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and zinc.

Source: Martalena br Purba et al “Skin wrinkling : can food make a difference?” Journal American College of Nutrition (2001) 20(1):71-80

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