What you eat could be one of the most underrated tools for keeping skin healthy as you age, with researchers pointing to a range of plant-based foods, healthy fats, and fermented products as particularly beneficial, the BBC has reported.
Skin loses collagen -- the protein responsible for its structure and firmness -- gradually over time, leading to wrinkles. Environmental factors including air pollution, visible light, infrared radiation, and rising temperatures compound the damage, according to Jean Krutmann, professor of dermatology at the Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine.
Diet, however, can help offset some of that decline.
Colourful fruits and vegetables rich in carotenoids -- compounds found in carrots, peppers, and tomatoes -- offer a baseline level of UV protection and can stimulate skin cells to produce hyaluronic acid, which helps maintain firmness and elasticity. Volker Böhm, professor of food chemistry at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, says regular consumption of carotenoid-rich foods provides a continuous, year-round UV protection factor of roughly two to three.
Mangoes have shown particular promise. A study of post-menopausal women led by Vivien Fam at the University of California Davis found that eating 85g of mango four times a week over 16 weeks reduced both the size and number of wrinkles. However, the same study found the reverse effect at around 250g daily -- an outcome researchers tentatively attributed to the fruit’s high natural sugar content.
Healthy fats also matter. A small randomised controlled trial found almond snackers had less visible wrinkling after 16 weeks. Omega-3-rich oily fish such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel can reduce skin sensitivity to sunlight and help preserve collagen, while omega-6 fatty acids in nuts and seeds reinforce the skin’s moisture barrier.
Gut health plays a role too. A diverse diet rich in plant-based foods feeds gut microbes that release compounds with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects -- benefits that extend to the skin through what researchers call the “gut-skin axis”. Fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, and yoghurt are particularly useful for this purpose, the BBC reported.
Antioxidant benefits from diet are not immediate, Krutmann cautioned, noting that measurable protection against environmental damage typically takes eight to ten weeks of consistent intake to develop.