Study Shows Vitamin C, Linoleic Acid May Reduce Wrinkles

Crow’s feet, laugh lines and sagging skin have been plaguing women for years. Some of us slather on face creams, lotions and toners, hoping that something will effectively combat, prevent and reduce the wrinkles that are sure to appear. Others turn to Botox and even surgery.

But many women don’t realize that the skin’s outward appearance is actually a reflection of what’s going on beneath the surface. To look healthy and beautiful on the outside, you’ve got to keep yourself healthy on the inside, and what you put inside your body is just as important as what you put on your body.

For example, a recent study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition determined that those who ate more vitamin C- and linoleic acid-rich foods had fewer wrinkles than those who got less of the nutrients.

More than 4,000 women ages 40-74 participated in the trial. Experts assessed their diets, and also took into consideration skin type, sun exposure, and other lifestyle and environmental factors that contribute to skin aging.

The study concluded that higher intakes of vitamin C and linoleic acid (and lower intakes of fats and carbohydrates) were associated with better skin appearance. And “lower intakes of vitamin C were significantly associated with the prevalence of a wrinkled appearance and senile dryness,” the authors wrote.

Vitamin C has long been recognized as a nutrient necessary to collagen synthesis, and as an antioxidant for skin support. Antioxidants are specialized molecules found in nature that counteract the negative effects of harmful and destructive molecules, called free radicals. Free radicals have been implicated as a leading cause of all aspects of cell aging.

Linoleic acid is an omega-6 fatty acid found in soybean oil, nuts and leafy green vegetables. The body can convert linoleic acid into EPA and DHA, the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil – which, not coincidentally, also supports healthy skin.

Other studies have indicated that vitamins C and E, polyunsaturated fatty acids and cartenoids (like lycopene) are involved in protecting the skin from sun damage, but this was the first study aimed at uncovering the direct relationship between specific vitamins and skin appearance. While experts say more research is necessary to determine exactly how these relationships work, it’s safe to say that good nutrition certainly plays a role in skin health.