Colourful Fruit and Vegetables Can Help Keep Skin Youthful, Experts Say

Experts have advised paying attention to diet, rather than relying only on cosmetics, to keep skin looking youthful. In their view, choosing the right food helps maintain skin health alongside the body's internal wellbeing.

The skin is an important organ of the human body. It not only protects the internal organs, it also plays an important role in maintaining overall health and wellbeing. Caring for the skin is therefore not only about beauty or staying youthful; it is also essential for good health, experts say.

Jean Krutmann, professor of dermatology at the Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, has said that various environmental factors play an important role in accelerating skin ageing. A few decades ago, scientists thought ultraviolet (UV) rays were the main environmental cause of skin ageing, he said, but recent research has shown the matter is not that simple.

According to Professor Krutmann, alongside the sun's ultraviolet rays, visible light and infrared radiation can also play a role in skin ageing. Even a rise in environmental temperature can affect the skin negatively.

As people age, the amount of collagen in the skin naturally falls. Collagen is a protein that helps keep the skin's structure firm, maintains its elasticity and keeps it taut. When its level drops, wrinkles and sagging can appear.

Experts say one important factor in skin health is often overlooked: diet. Healthy fats, antioxidant-rich fruits, vegetables and fermented foods, in particular, can play a positive role in skin care.

Various studies have found that a diet rich in plant-based foods helps maintain skin health. The antioxidants in colourful fruits and vegetables can protect the body from oxidative stress. Antioxidants work against free radicals that can damage cells, so these compounds can help reduce the damage that pollution and sunlight cause to skin cells.

Carrots, tomatoes and sweet peppers of different colours contain large amounts of carotenoids, notable examples of which are lutein, lycopene and beta-carotene. Volker Böhm, professor of food chemistry at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, says carotenoids can be stored in the body's fatty tissue and can provide some protection inside the skin against the harmful effects of the sun's ultraviolet rays.

According to Professor Böhm, eating carotenoid-rich food regularly can build a certain level of internal UV protection in the skin throughout the year. Research has compared that level of protection to roughly two to three SPF. This protection from food is not, however, a substitute for sunscreen, and he reminded readers that using a sunscreen with a suitable SPF remains essential when going outside.

To increase the effectiveness of carotenoids, adding a small amount of healthy fat to the meal is advised. Eating olive oil with tomatoes or carrots, for example, helps the body absorb these fat-soluble antioxidants more easily. Beta-carotene also converts into vitamin A in the body, which plays an important role in the normal growth and development of skin cells and in maintaining immune activity.

Research has also found that carotenoids can support the process by which skin cells produce hyaluronic acid, a molecule that helps the skin retain moisture, keeping it soft, firm and elastic. A small study separately found that women who took a carotenoid supplement every day for 10 consecutive months saw an improvement in the collagen and elastin in their skin, although the research noted that broader studies are still needed.

According to Professor Krutmann, it can generally take eight to ten weeks before a measurable change appears in the skin's protection against environmental damage from taking antioxidants. The experts' advice is to include carrots, tomatoes, sweet peppers and other colourful fruits and vegetables in the daily diet, alongside a balanced diet, adequate water, regular sleep and proper skin care.