3 Essential Nutrients To Improve Your Skin & Hair

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by Sil Pancho

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10.20.2021

When it comes to maintaining a healthy glow, the best results come from improving nutrition from the inside out: giving nutrients customized to hair, skin, and nails. First and foremost, even if you’re attempting to lose weight, don’t scrimp on rich, nutritious foods this season. That’s essential to remember when it comes to eating whole foods because they’re packed with nutrients, phytochemicals, and enzymes that work together to keep us healthy.

Many of the foods and minerals that help skin also benefit hair and nails, so there’s a large list of beauty-boosting nutrients. This is because all three are made up of comparable types of tissue, such as keratin. Aside from particular nutrients, numerous lifestyle practices, such as proper stress management, restorative sleep, hydration, and avoiding or reducing exposure to hazardous chemicals like cigarette pollution, smoking, and excessive drinking, may also contribute to good hair, skin, and nails. Hormone imbalances, particularly thyroid hormone abnormalities, can affect the health and appearance of nails, hair, and skin. If you want to have better hair, skin, and nails, you should focus on the nutrients listed below;

1.Antioxidants and phytonutrients

When it comes to good hair, skin, and nails, free radicals and oxidative stress are genuine beauty killers. Because all human cells are sensitive to oxidative stress, phytonutrients and antioxidants that assist to quench free radicals are beneficial to all body tissues. Vitamins C, A, and E, as well as selenium and zinc, are examples of antioxidant vitamins and minerals. The following phytonutrients have been proven to protect the skin, which is particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress:

  • Carotenoids, such as beta-carotene and lutein, are present in orange-colored fruits and vegetables as well as dark leafy greens
  • Onion, apples, blueberries, broccoli, and tea contain polyphenols, flavonoids, and quercetin
  • Turmeric’s major phytonutrient is curcumin
  • Silymarin is the active ingredient in milk thistle
  • Genistein is a kind of isoflavone that may be found in soybeans
  • Dark blue, purple, and black fruits and vegetables, as well as grape seeds, contain proanthocyanins
  • Red grapes, red wine, and mulberries all contain resveratrol, a polyphenol

2011 dual, randomized, placebo-controlled research discovered that a combination of antioxidant components (omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C, B vitamins, coenzyme Q10, and carotenoids like lutein and beta-carotene) may enhance skin health and appearance. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause the buildup of reactive oxygen species, which can be combated using antioxidant nutrients. Carotenoids may also protect the skin against UVB/UVA and UVA1 light exposure, as well as block radiation-induced gene expression, according to a 2016 double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover research.

2.Collagen and Protein

Keratin, a protein that creates a protective barrier and gives solid structure in the epithelial outer layer, is primarily found in hair, skin, and nails. Collagen is another crucial protein; it is a component of skin and other connective tissues, and it acts as the glue that binds tissues together. Both keratin and collagen must have their building blocks from dietary protein in the form of amino acids to retain their strength and function.

Proline, glycine, and lysine, as well as vitamin C, A, and E, copper, and zinc, are essential amino acids for collagen production. 6-8 Supplementing with collagen has been shown to increase nail development and strength, support a healthy scalp and hair growth, and perhaps lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Collagen enhances the texture and looks of the skin by increasing the quantity of water-binding glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in the skin, which increases hydration and flexibility.

3.Minerals and vitamins

Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are essential for keeping healthy hair, skin, and nails, as well as supporting general metabolic health, tissue repair, and maintenance.

  • Biotin, commonly known as vitamin B7, encourages the synthesis of keratin. Although an overt shortage is uncommon, biotin is not retained in the body and is frequently advised for hair and nail development. Other B vitamin deficiencies, such as B12, riboflavin, niacin, and pyridoxine, can cause dry, irritated skin, thinning hair, and brittle nails. Egg yolk, salmon, beef, organ meats, sunflower seeds, peanuts, and sweet potatoes all contain biotin.
  • Iron aids in the oxygenation of the blood and tissues, as well as the development of hair, skin, and nails. Hair, skin, and nails might suffer from a lack of iron and hemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen to tissues and cells. Thin, brittle nails, hair thinning, alopecia (hair loss), and a pale complexion are all common symptoms of iron deficiency anemia. Red meat, organ meats, spinach, seafood, lentils, and pumpkin seeds are all good sources of iron.
  • Silicon/silica is a trace mineral that aids collagen production and aids in the creation of elastin and glycoproteins (GAGs). It has been found to enhance keratin structure, which supports skin firmness, as well as boost hair and nail thickness and strength. Silica is also essential for calcium metabolism and bone health. Beans, bananas, root vegetables, and brown rice are all high in silica.
  • Vitamin A increases protein synthesis in the epidermal layer of the skin, stimulates collagen and elastin production, and protects collagen from degradation and UV radiation damage.

Optimizing the diet and focusing on particular nutrients may enhance physical health, as well as the look and health of hair, skin, and nails, just like any other system in the body.

 

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