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Supplements show benefits for skin in clinical trials
Dietary supplements containing red orange extract, collagen, ceramides, hyaluronic acid and flavonoids known as procyanidins have significant potential to benefit the skin, according to trial findings.
Extracts and UV damage: In a trial involving 110 Caucasian and Asian men and women, participants received a capsule that contained an extract of red oranges or a placebo for 56 days as reported on May 27, 2022 in the journal Nutrients.1 The participants underwent ultraviolet (UV) exposure to a designated area of the skin on days 1, 14 and 56 of the study.
After 56 days UV-induced skin redness was lower in the group that received the extract compared to the placebo. Skin antioxidant capacity, moisturization, elasticity, radiance, water loss, wrinkle depth and other factors also improved in the red orange extract-treated participants by the end of the study.
Round-up of supplements for skin: The meta-analysis, published on June 2, 2022, in Frontiers in Nutrition, included 66 trials that examined the effects of various skin-targeted supplements on skin hydration among a total of 4,090 participants.2 The analysis affirmed hydration benefits for collagen, ceramide, hyaluronic acid and plant compounds known as procyanidins.
“The detailed mechanisms of oral skin moisturizers are complex, however, the aforementioned [extracts] concerning moisture retention of skin share a common characteristic that they directly or indirectly [support] the nutrients for healthy skin so as to repair the skin barrier and function, achieving the improvement of skin hydration,” authors Qian Sun and colleagues wrote.
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Apply What You've Learned: Skin Nutrition
- Oral intake of specific nutrients supports healthy, youthful looking skin. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t also use topical treatments, which have their own benefits, including skin moisturization.
- Consuming enough protein and vitamin C intake is essential for the formation of collagen, the most abundant protein in the body, which provides structure and strength to the skin.
- Exposure to ultraviolet light is the primary cause of skin aging and skin cancers. In addition to red orange extract, oral intake of an extract of Polypodium leucotomos (a variety of fern) helps protect against ultraviolet light exposure-induced skin aging.3
- Although ultraviolet light exposure enables the production of vitamin D in the skin, the American Academy of Dermatology does not recommend obtaining the vitamin through sun exposure or indoor tanning, due to an increased risk of skin cancers. Instead, the Academy recommends consuming vitamin D-rich foods, foods and beverages fortified with the vitamin and/or vitamin D extracts.4
References
- Nobile V et al. Randomized Controlled Trial Nutrients. 2022 May 27;14(11):2241.
- Sun Q et al. Front Nutr. 2022 Jun 2;9:895192.
- El-Haj N et al. Int J Dermatol. 2015 Mar;54(3):362-6.
- “Vitamin D stats and facts.” American Academy of Dermatology Association. Vitamin D. https://www.aad.org/media/stats-vitamin-d
Featured Life Extension Magazine® Article
Vitamin K2: Heart Health Benefits, by Anthony Payne, NMD, PhD, MD (honorary)
There are two main forms of vitamin K: vitamin K1 and vitamin K2. Vitamin K1, which is found in leafy green vegetables, is best known for support healthy blood clotting, but has other health benefits as well. Vitamin K2, or menaquinone, exists in several forms, including menaquinone-4 (MK-4) found in dairy foods and MK-7, which occurs primarily in fermented foods, including sauerkraut and kefir.
One reason for narrowing of the arteries (commonly referred to as heart disease) is improper function of the endothelial cells that line blood vessels, causing arterial plaque to build up and calcify. Vitamin K2 helps protect against arterial calcification, thereby lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease. The vitamin also supports bone health.
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