Nature offers precious and simple ingredients, such as vegetable oils, essential oils and natural extracts, to effectively take care of skin and hair, thus avoiding substances of synthetic origin that could cause damage, a worsening of acne, oily skin, dermatitis, dark skin spots and wrinkles. And what's simpler and more natural than nutrition? Yes, because often the most powerful cosmetics come from the diet, such as almonds. According to recent research, including almonds in your daily diet helps rejuvenate your skin. Do you want to know more? So let's delve into this fascinating topic that combines beauty and nutrition, because, it should not be forgotten, we are what we eat!
Almonds, real cosmetics taken through the mouth
Almonds are a precious source of vitamins E, or alpha tocopherol, an antioxidant. In particular, alpha tocopherol can reach a quantity between 22 and 30 mg per 100 grams of almonds. Alpha tocopherol is a powerful anti-aging, counteracts the aging processes that affect the skin, wrinkles and dark spots, is illuminating and rejuvenating. In fact, this substance is incorporated into the cell membrane and from there it inhibits the destruction of collagen and protects the cell from free radical damage caused by internal and external factors, including UV rays (Foolad et al, Phytotherapy Research, 2019). Not only that, almonds also contain essential fatty acids and these help to strengthen the skin's lipid barrier and counteract the formation of wrinkles (Foolad et al, Phytotherapy Research, 2019). These observations derive from scientific studies, which were conducted precisely to evaluate the effectiveness of oral ingestion of almonds on the quality of the skin (Rybak et al, Nutrients, 2021).
More almonds, less wrinkles, that's what science says
What emerged from the scientific research conducted on the subject, is that those who had consumed almonds every day for 6 months, about 60 grams, integrating them into their daily diet, saw a reduction of wrinkles and their depth. Not only that, those who had consumed almonds also had a 20% attenuation of hyperpigmentation in the case of dark spots, with a more even and luminous complexion. Therefore, almonds have proved effective in counteracting photoaging. And the most interesting part is that this rejuvenating effect occurs precisely with nutrition, while synthetic alpha tocopherol has not shown the same benefits (Foolad et al, Phytotherapy Research, 2019).
How many almonds to eat?
The studies we referred to have considered a large amount of almonds, about 60 grams per day. Other studies will follow to understand the benefits with smaller quantities of almonds, and thus also easier to integrate into the diet. However, it is important to point out that other research carried out on the beneficial properties of almonds has observed that 10 grams per day of almonds, about 9-10 almonds, have benefited the cardiovascular system by increasing the values of good cholesterol and reducing the ratio of bad cholesterol to good cholesterol (Jamshed et al, J Nutr, 2015). Therefore, while waiting for science to take a position on this topic, it can certainly be a good idea and a healthy choice, both for heart and skin health, to include almonds in your diet, about ten, divided between breakfast and a mid-morning snack.
