The Institute for Optimum Nutrition

FEEDING THE SKIN

This article originally appeared in the Summer 1988 issue of Optimum Nutrition Magazine 

Ruth Joseph, Dip ION

Your skin is a mirror for your diet. Although some people appear to have good skin whatever they eat, ultimately you cannot maintain good healthy skin without good nutrition. Good nutrition helps slow down the ageing process, maintains skin suppleness, controls the oil balance, diseases, spots, and infections and reduces inflammation vital for preventing skin disorders such as acne, eczema and dermatitis. Although cleansing and moisturising the skin is Important, beauty comes from Inside. 

The skin is also an organ of elimination. We lose, for example, a litre of water and 250mg of sodium through our skin each day. Toxins, including heavy metals and body acids are eliminated via the skin. Skin problems usually arise either because of faulty elimination or faulty nutrition. The skin needs good nutrition not only to nourish skin cells but also to help regulate inflammation and production of oils, through the action of prostaglandins.  Prostaglandins are regulators - they control every cell and every organ in the body on a second-at-a-time basis much like hormones. 

PROSTAGLANDINS - Prostaglandin series 1 (PC1) seems to be the most valuable asset to health coming from the cis (or active) linoleic acid, which derives its essential fatty acids from nuts and seeds, mainly sunflower and sesame. Unfortunately, processing and heating will remove these active properties. Series 3 prostaglandins (PG3) are derived from eicosapentaenoic acid and are mainly found in oily seafood.  PG2, on the contrary, is a source of inflammation and is created mainly by meat or flesh sources which are converted into arachidonic acid or a faulty pathway from linoleic acid. The relevance of all this to the skin is that: 

1) Prostaglandins control the amount of sebum in the body
2) PG 1 and 3 have an anti-inflammatory effect
3) They seem to be necessary for the normal functioning of lymphocytes
and therefore aid the immune system
4) Zinc plays a vital role in prostaglandin synthesis
5) Zinc helps maintain the right balance between PC1 and PG2

ZINC AND THE SKIN - Zinc is one of the vital elements needed as a catalyst to help linoleic acid on its path towards prostaglandin I and it is needed at the very first stage when cis linoleic acid is converted to gamma linolenic add and at the second stage to dihomo-gamma linolenic acid. Again zinc is needed to maintain the balance together with an enzyme delta-6 desaturase, and vitamins B6, B3 and C and magnesium. A shortage of any of these essential nutrients will result in further inflammation from development of prostaglandin 2.
The other essential facet of zincs properties vital to skin health is its connection with the immune system. If the immune system is under par all kinds of allergies may occur (although there are many reasons) which may affect the skin. We may see rashes - eczema, psoriasis, boils, certainly proving the immune system often ameliorates many of the symptoms.

DNA -THE CODE FOR HEALTHY SKIN - Again a vital point about zinc is its link with DNA. DNA (the cell’s genetic material or blueprint of life) and its messenger RNA, while not themselves proteins, are deeply involved in the process of protein synthesis. 

According to Lesie Kenton “Nucleic acids in the cell nucleus have quite a remarkable ability to repair themselves. But in order for this to happen, there must be an adequate supply of ascorbic acid, amino acids, the B vitamins (especially folic acid, B2, B6, B5 and choline) as well as zinc, manganese and chromium. A number of studies show that the sulphur amino acids, selenium, ascorbic acid and vitamin E together promote DNA and RNA repair’’. 

This is very relevant to the young teenager who wishes his spots and scars to heal, or someone suffering from psoriasis, eczema or leg ulcers, as repair is necessary to all damaged cells.

A CARROT A DAY - Drs Passwater and Cranton have researched immune function and zinc but feel “the most important factor maybe the role zinc plays in transporting vitamin A to the skin. Vitamin A is vital to skin health”. They explain. ‘2inc deficiency interferes with the production of a protein complex that carries vitamin A from the liver into the bloodstream. This protein complex is called retinal binding protein. Zinc deficiency leads to low blood levels of vitamin A due to the impaired ability to mobilise vitamin A from the liver in the form of the vitamin A/retinal binding protein complex which increases the amount of vitamin circulating in the bloodstream. The added vitamin A maybe stored in the liver if there is no more available retinal binding protein to carry it to the blood. The critical factor is how much vitamin A reaches the skin via the bloodstream.” Vitamin A is vital for the formation of epithelial layers of the skin, and protecting against infection. 

VITAMIN E - THE HEALER - If vitamin A is included in the diet it is helpful to add vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol) as vitamin E actually facilitates the absorption of vitamin A. It is also used therapeutically for the treatment of skin ulcers being applied directly to the skin where there are problems of burns and scalds and particularly scar tissue. For this reason, wheatgerm, in which there are 190mg per 100g, and sunflower seeds, which contain 27mg per 100g, are highly recommended. Both vitamin A and E are anti-oxidants, which protect the skin from the harmful effects of the sun’s radiation and pollution. 

COLLAGEN AND VITAMIN C - Vitamin C is absolutely essential for healthy, supple skin. Gross deficiency presents as a skirt problem when gums and mouth begin to bleed, in fact small lesions begin to haemorrhage all over the body. This is scurvy and is fortunately quite rare. It occurs because of the breakdown of collagen. Collagen is a protein substance that is a critical structural ingredient of blood vessels, the fibrous tissue in scars and the matrix of hard tissue, like bone and cartilage. 

Emanuel Cheraskin cites vitamin Cs powers in the manufacture of collagen: “Vitamin C is unique among all vitamins - it serves as a special glue that holds cells together. Thus it plays a role in every tissue and organ in the body. A deficiency contributes more damage to more places in the body and creates more biochemical chaos than any other single nutrient. Megadoses of C can encourage the synthesis of more collagen so that connective tissue is strengthened.” Studies of healthy young adults eating a C-deficient diet - only 5-10mg daily for periods of up to 7 months, show that wound healing is dramatically delayed.  Dry skin, loss of elasticity and wrinkles can all be the result of collagen breakdown, caused by vitamin C deficiency. 

B COMPLEX - Many of the B vitamins when deficient cause skin problems. For example B2, Bl2 or folic acid deficiency often presents as eczema or dermatitis, while a B3 deficiency is associated with acne. Skin sufferers are therefore encouraged to increase their consumption of wheatgerm, wholegrains, seeds, nuts, crude molasses, green vegetables, peas and maybe milk products and egg yolk, as well as supplementing adequate levels of all B vitamins. Vitamin B3, in the niacin or nicotinic acid form, is especially important. Niacin causes vasodilation, a blushing effect. This flushes toxins out of the cells and opens up the capillaries to carry them away. The effect, which lasts for about 15 minutes, improves circulation, lowers cholesterol levels and may improve intelligence, however not everybody likes the effect even though it is not harmful. 

FEEDING THE SKIN 

1. Avoid high fat and fried foods
2. Avoid sugar and foods containing sugar.
3. Eat plenty of fruit and fresh vegetables.
4. Drink at least one pint of water and/or diluted fruit juices and herb teas, daily.
5. Reduce intake of dairy products.
6. Ensure an adequate intake of essential fatty acids, either from nuts or seeds or salad dressings with cold-pressed sesame or sunflower oil.
7. Reduce or avoid coffee, cigarettes and alcohol. 

SUPPLEMENTS FOR HEALTHY SKIN 

Take the following daily 

 Vitamin A (two thirds beta-carotene) 25,000iu
 Vitamin C 1-3gm
 Vitamin E  200-1,000iu                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   A high strength B complex
 B3 (niacin) 100mg
 Evening Primrose Oil 500mg
 Zinc 25 mg
 Calcium 500mg
 Magnesium 300mg