An expert in diet has spoken about a superfood that can help slow down the aging process. When people get to a certain age, many try various anti-ageing treatments, including Botox and pricey creams, to try and turn back the march of time.
However, he swears by a certain ingredient found in bright fruits and veg, which he eats frequently and claims can help plump up collagen, lift mood, and keep illnesses at bay.
On his BBC Radio 4 show ‘Stay Young’, Dr Michael Mosley, the mastermind behind the 5:2 and Fast 800 diets, who sadly died last year said: “Now I’m 66 years old and I’ve tried all sorts of ways to look younger including Botox, micro-needling, creams. I once even had my face burnt with a device which looked like a red hot iron.
“All in the name of science obviously and none of these approaches were impressive enough to make me want to go back for more. At my age and after a lifetime of regularly getting sunburnt you might expect me to look really wrinkly.
“But I’m not. It could be because of my skin type or it could be because of something I’ve just pulled out of the oven. It’s something I eat a lot of and which it’s claimed can reduce wrinkles, thicken collagen, boost mood and protect me from a host of illnesses.”, reports Bristol Live.
As Dr Mosley removed his culinary creation from the oven, he said, “This is a tray of bright-coloured vegetables, freshly roasted and delicious. I know it sounds unlikely but there is some pretty convincing science behind the skin benefits of fruit and veg, especially the brightly coloured ones.”
He continued to elaborate on the benefits of such vibrantly hued produce: “That’s what I have here – they include tomatoes, red peppers, butternut squash and sweet potatoes, plus, of course, carrots.”
According to Dr Mosley, these particular veggies are rich in carotenoids which not only give carrots, mangoes, and tomatoes their eye-catching hues but also significantly enhance your skin’s collagen and hydration levels. This, in turn, can lead to fewer wrinkles and greater skin plumpness and texture.
Dr Mosley further commented, “Research has shown that your collagen levels and wrinkles can be greatly improved with diet. Several large-scale studies have found that those who eat more vegetables have far fewer wrinkles and plumper skin. One study found that eating lots of colourful veg – around 250 grams a day – was key to looking young.”
He concluded by explaining why this might be the case: “Why? Well, plants contain an impressive array of anti-ageing compounds and when it comes to your skin one of the most important are the carotenoids. As the name suggests you can find them in carrots, but they’re also in many other yellow, orange and red fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, melons and mangoes.
“Carotenoids are chemical cousins of retinol, considered to be the anti-ageing compound when it comes to wrinkles. They’re highly effective anti-oxidants which can protect your skin at the cellular level. In lab tests carotenoids have been shown to protect collagen-producing skin fibroblasts from damage caused by UV radiation and oxidative stress – both big drivers of skin ageing.
“Carotenoids can also skin cells into producing higher lauric acid, the ingredient in many anti-ageing creams and fillers which can help your skin retain moisture.”
Dr Mosley explained that this also enhances collagen production.
His views were echoed by Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London and co-founder of the health App Zoe. He said people should be eating foods ‘the colours of the rainbow’ for major health benefits including drastically improving gut health, reverse ageing and reducing inflammation.
What is inflammation
Inflammation is something which is caused by an overactive immune system and can lead to chronic inflammation which in turn can cause many of the diseases which we associate with ageing such as joint pain, type 2 diabetes, and depression. Polyphenols are types of defence chemical in plants which gives them their bright colour and bitter taste. As well as protecting the plant, polyphenols feed your good gut bacteria and inhibit the growth of bad bacteria.
Prof Spector explained: “Eating more plants is one of the best things you can do for your gut health, and one of the big reasons why is because of polyphenols. These are phytonutrients, the defence chemicals that you find in plants, and it’s important to realise that the same also in canned versions, whether it’s tomatoes or beans, they act as prebiotics for your gut microbes that use these chemicals as fuel, and they convert them into short chain fatty acids, which then go and act in an anti-inflammatory, immune boosting way for our bodies.”