Minerals have to be the forgotten allies in the world of nutrition. This is especially true when it comes to skincare. Virtually everyone is familiar with the concept of calcium for healthy bones, and iron for energy. But how often do we consider minerals when we think of skin health? Certain minerals and trace elements have a huge role to play in both maintaining the day-to-day health of the skin, and also delivering a therapeutic benefit when tackling active conditions of the skin.
Chromium is one mineral that may not immediately spring to mind when it comes to looking after the health of the skin. However, there is an indirect but vital link. One of the most destructive influences upon the health of the skin over a lifetime and the rate of skin ageing is continual blood sugar spikes. In our modern world of convenience and processed foods, we are consuming huge amounts of high glycaemic foods, such as white bread, white rice, white pasta, sugary drinks and snacks, etc. This means we are eating foods that release their sugar into our bloodstream very fast. We may feel that this gives us a quick energy boost, but it is actually rather harmful. Our blood sugar is not meant to rise rapidly. We are designed to be eating whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, etc. These foods release their sugars slowly and steadily. If our blood sugar rises rapidly, it is fraught with danger and as such we have a very rapid and effective way of dealing with such blood sugar spikes.
When our blood sugar rises, insulin is released from the pancreas. Insulin basically communicates to cells in our body, telling them to pull in sugar and convert it into energy. The faster our blood sugar rises, the greater the release of insulin. However, the insulin system can only deal with so much sugar at one time. Once we have passed the system’s capacity to deal with any more sugar, the body does several things. It turns it into body fat, and also deposits it into other tissues.
It is when it becomes deposited into other tissues that trouble can start for the health of our skin. If excess sugar reaches the dermis, it can very quickly start to bond with collagen and elastin, in a process called glycation. Once the sugar has formed a permanent bond with collagen and elastin, it becomes an Advanced Glycation End product or AGE (which is rather appropriate). AGEs can then form further bonds with collagen and elastin, creating cross links between fibres. This causes the collagen lattice to become stiff, rather than elastic, which in turn leads to a loss in youthful skin elasticity, speeding up the ageing of the skin.
So, where does chromium fit into all of this? Well, chromium is used by the body to create something called Glucose Tolerance Factor (GTF). This molecule is involved in stabilizing blood sugar levels by working alongside insulin to further enhance a cell’s ability to take in glucose effectively. It will help blood sugar to stay at a safe level for longer, which has a myriad of health benefits, but where the skin is concerned it means that there will be less likelihood that glucose will become deposited in the collagen matrix to form AGEs.
Best Food Sources – yeast, oysters, whole grains, potatoes.
Selenium is a mineral that has been talked about a lot in recent years, and one that is still drastically deficient in the Western diet. It is a trace mineral, and as such is only required in tiny amounts, yet many of us still fail to consume enough. Part of this is due to the poor quality of soil in today’s intensive farming. The more intensely land is farmed, the more its natural mineral content begins to decline. As the nutritional composition of fresh produce is a direct reflection of the soil in which it is grown, a lot of fresh produce today is lower in micronutrients than it was even 10 years ago. Couple this with poor food choices, and you soon see why our intake of such nutrients has declined to such an extent.
Selenium is a key player in long-term skin health. This is mostly due to its potent antioxidant promoting activity. Selenium is a cofactor (a substance necessary for the formation of another substance) in the production of a very powerful antioxidant enzyme called Glutathione Peroxidase (GP). GP plays a vital role in protecting cells and tissues from biochemical damage caused by free radicals. Glutathione Peroxidase that is formed in the presence of selenium can offer protection both to skin cells and also to the matrix of collagen fibres that offer support and structure to our skin. If these fibres become damaged in any way, due to free radical attack, or cross linking from insulin spiking, it can leave our skin looking dull and shallow, and make us much more susceptible to wrinkling earlier on in life.
The other benefit of selenium is the fact that it will deliver a certain amount of anti-inflammatory activity. This is again due to its antioxidant action. When a skin lesion, such as an acne spot or an eczema flare-up is red and angry, that means there is a lot of active localized inflammation. Part of the inflammatory response is enhanced by a localized free radical release (there are many steps involved in activating inflammation). Adding additional antioxidant nutrients and precursors can offer some benefit in the reduction of redness and severity of inflammatory lesions.
Best Food Sources – Brazil nuts, shiitake mushrooms, prawns (shrimps), tuna, sunflower seeds.
This wonderful mineral is one of the most important for longterm skin health, yet one which is seldom talked about outside of the healthfood world. Silica is found in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Its presence in a food often leads to the produce having a smooth shiny skin. Think about a red (bell) pepper or a cucumber. That shiny skin on the outside is due to the high levels of silica present.
Silica is known to activate certain enzymes that are involved in the production of collagen. While the turnover of collagen is extremely slow, it is vital that we do all we can to ensure that the production of high quality collagen is carried out as best as is physically possible for our body.
Best Food Sources – cucumbers, (bell) peppers, leeks, green beans.
Organic sulphur is one of the most important nutrients to the long-term beauty, structure and ageing of the skin. It is the most broadly used mineral in both the production and maintenance of the extracellular matrix – the lattice-like mesh that helps give tissues structural support. The main component of this matrix is a group of substances called proteoglycans. These are fibres that bind to collagen within the matrix to form this vast web of supportive material. Ensuring an adequate sulphur intake can have rather dramatic effects upon the appearance of the skin.
Best Food Sources – onions, garlic, leeks, eggs, fish.
Zinc is one of the single most important nutrients for skin health. Male and female, young and old, will all benefit from an adequate intake of this nutrient.
The first major benefit from zinc is the fact that it is involved in the production and regulation of over 200 hormones, including the more powerful ones such as testosterone. Testosterone is the main hormone involved in instigating acne lesions. Testosterone, when converted into the aggressive form (dihydrotestosterone) can have a stimulatory effect upon the sebaceous glands. It causes them to start producing larger than necessary amounts of sebum. It also causes the sebum to become slightly thicker and more viscous. This high amount of thicker sebum creates an environment more conducive to the formation of comedones (blackheads). These are formed when sebum blocks a hair follicle and binds with keratin to make a thick sticky plug that bungs up the follicle. This sticky plug works like fly paper, trapping bacteria that normally live happily on the surface of the skin. These staphylococcus bacteria begin to accumulate in the sebum/keratin plug, and are able to instigate infection. There is then an active infection within the hair follicle, and an acne spot is born. By increasing our intake of zinc, the behaviour of testosterone can be kept in check and its effect upon sebaceous glands is far less aggressive.
Another added benefit of zinc is that it has another regulatory effect upon sebaceous glands, separate from that of hormonal control. It has the ability to help to regulate how the sebaceous glands are behaving. If the skin is too oily, zinc seems to have the ability to calm down sebaceous secretions. On the same note, if the skin is very dry, zinc seems to be able to increase sebaceous activity to normalize the oil content of the skin.
Best Food Sources – shellfish, pumpkin seeds, mushrooms, spinach.
