From its importance in maintaining muscle mass to extreme protein only diets, protein has for sure received its time in the spotlight within the wellness space. But when it comes to skin health have you ever considered the importance of protein?
Proteins in the skin are fibrous proteins such as keratin, elastin and of course collagen. What makes up these proteins are the ‘building blocks’ or the amino acids. Amino acids are rich in nutrients necessary for repairing damaged skin, maintaining skin moisture at a cellular level and regeneration after UV exposure. When our skin ages and is exposed to UV light elastin and collagen fibres become impaired.
An analogy I like to use when referring to protein and amino acids is like the alphabet, if there are letters missing in the alphabet how are you going to make the words? The same goes for protein, if amino acids are missing from your diet how are you going to build the proteins?
To support amino acid and protein functions in the body, here are some of the most important things to prioritise.
Essential Amino Acids
There are 9 essential amino acids (EEA) that the body cannot produce itself and must be consumed through diet. Protein content of foods differ significantly, however animal protein is preferable when considering the EEAs in comparison with plant-based sources. These include meat, dairy and eggs, which also contain all 9 EEAs. However, plant-based sources such as legumes, brown rice and nuts can be consumed together, known as ‘protein pairing', to increase protein quality.
Collagen
You guessed it! As collagen is a major component of our skin matrix it’s no wonder ensuring collagen is a part of your diet is beneficial for the body’s own collagen synthesis. Natural reduction in collagen synthesis due to aging can be reversed when oral supplementation of bioactive collagen is administered. Active Collagen All-In-One is designed and backed by science to do just this when taken alongside a healthy diet and lifestyle habits.
Regular Protein Consumption
Nutrition is at the forefront of obtaining the essential nutrients for healthy skin maintenance. Protein supplies our skin with the energy for physiological functions, such as repairing tissue and skin renewal every 28 days! Adequate protein intake throughout the day is essential for maintaining protein levels - eggs at breakfast, Active Collagen in your coffee, chickpeas at lunch, Greek yoghurt as a snack and salmon for dinner…. Voila!
Solano F. (2020). Metabolism and Functions of Amino Acids in the Skin. Advances in experimental medicine and biology, 1265, 187–199. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45328-2_11
Watford, M., & Wu, G. (2018). Protein. Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 9(5), 651–653. https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmy027
Bolke, L., Schlippe, G., Gerß, J., & Voss, W. (2019). A Collagen Supplement Improves Skin Hydration, Elasticity, Roughness, and Density: Results of a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Blind Study. Nutrients, 11(10), 2494. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11102494
Cao, C., Xiao, Z., Wu, Y., & Ge, C. (2020). Diet and Skin Aging-From the Perspective of Food Nutrition. Nutrients, 12(3), 870. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12030870
