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Beauty from within? Obviously. But no need for supplements.

It’s obvious, isn’t it? We are what we eat, sort of. We can make most molecules we need for life; that’s what metabolism is for, and we have all the necessary enzymes. Exceptions? Humans are unable to make some chemicals that are essential for life. Apparently, we lost some enzymes here and there during evolution. The answer to this problem is that we must ingest them in our diets: the few essential amino acids, some essential fatty acids, and some vitamins.

A healthy diet will have all the “essentials” we can’t make, plus the energy (in calories), the nutrients, the water, and the carbon and nitrogen we need.

Do we need special supplements for our skin? No, because we get everything we need for our skin in our food and drinks.

It’s useful to remember that when we eat, our body will distribute energy and chemicals according to our needs. As we age, our skin becomes an “afterthought,” and food, etc. will be directed to the heart, lungs, kidneys, etc., before it’s the skin’s turn. This means that even if we eat collagen in chicken soup, jello, or expensive “skin” supplements, the amino acids in the collagen (mostly proline, alanine, and glycine) will be distributed in order of priority or need. Actually, hydroxyproline is also present in collagen, but it can’t be used to make proteins; it has to be modified first (proline is the one used in protein synthesis). The amino acids in collagen are not essential (we can make them), so there is no particular advantage in collagen as a protein source.

Then there is the topical route. As we age, we may be able to take more chemicals through the skin, and those are more likely to be used locally. Vitamin C will be useful in making collagen because it’s used in the enzymatic step that converts proline into hydroxyproline.

Save the money you would use on supplements for skin, hair, or nails and use them to buy some good food and some topical products from Skin Actives.

 

Hannah

 

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