Can A Lack Of Fat Be Responsible For Skin Problems?
When you consider that your skin is the second largest organ in your body, you realize that if something is wrong with your health, it will generally be reflected in the quality of your skin. Skin dryness, dandruff and cracked heels, as well as skin that seems to be aging quickly, are all signs of skin that is lacking in moisture.
Furthermore, fat is the second largest compound in your body, with water being number one, so if you are deficient in the right kind of fats, your health will be compromised, as well as your skin. Therefore the right fats play an enormously important role in overall health, and they are critical if you want to have healthy, soft, smooth skin.
Skin cells and essential fats
Every single cell in your body and brain requires a flexible, malleable and permeable membrane, which is the covering that surrounds the cell. Your skin cells are no different. The efficient functioning of each and every cell is dependent on the quality of the structure of its membrane. The membrane is mainly made up of fat molecules and this is what gives the membrane its unique qualities if it is made up of the right fats.
Research from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has clearly indicated that if you are deficient in the right fats your skin will be compromised. This is simply because each cell requires the right kind of undamaged Essential Fatty Acids to work optimally. If they are not present, each cell will battle to do its job properly, and your skin will be one of the first places where that deficiency will be noticed.
Damaged fat in your diet will lead to damaged cell membranes
If your skin cell membranes are made up of saturated and damaged fat molecules, then the membrane will be inflexible, hard and impermeable.
Damaged fats pack together closely within the cell membrane and don't allow the optimal absorption of moisture, nutrients and oxygen. This doesn't only make skin cells harder and less flexible, it also means skin cells are less resistant to the wear and tear of the elements. A second factor to consider is that cells with damaged fats cannot replicate themselves as well as a healthy cell with the right fats can, which leads to a lack of fresh new cells becoming visible. This leads to skin that looks old and dry.
Furthermore, skin cells will be unable to hold onto moisture, because the natural barrier that the right fats form within the skin cells, will not be present. This means that the elements, such as the wind, sun and water, will cause dryness and dehydration when the skin is exposed to them, which then leads to dry, irritated, red skin. When cell membranes are hard and inflexible it also means that they are less permeable, leading a reduced ability of the cell to absorb nutrients and oxygen optimally.
Essential fats have the ability to keep moisture inside your skin cells
Essential Fatty Acids, as these fats are known, are natural moisturizers, providing moisture from the inside, thereby preventing the dehydration of your skin. When skin is hydrated, it has a better chance of staying resilient and flexible, which leads to skin that is soft and flexible. Furthermore, a flexible, permeable cell membrane also ensures that nutrients and oxygen are absorbed into the cell efficiently and toxins removed effectively. These fats have the ability to stop cell dehydration, by forming a barrier against moisture loss. They can do this because they work at the cellular level, and are not applied from the outside. They are improving the quality of the skin, cell by cell, from the inside.
External moisturizers versus Essential Fatty Acids
The perfect moisturizer would need to include Essential Fatty Acids, which is very difficult to do, because these special fats are extremely sensitive to heat, light and oxygen, which most moisturizers are exposed to, during production and transport. Moisturizers therefore generally contain more stable fats, which are not as easily damaged, but the molecular structure of these fats makes them unable to penetrate the cell membrane of the skin cell. The effect of this is that they don't actually provide moisture into the skin cell. They simply form a barrier around the cell, preventing moisture from leaving. This only serves as a short-term benefit, because the external moisturizer will easily be removed through exposure to the elements.
Collagen needs the right fats to be able to work properly
Your skin is largely made up of collagen, which is a very sophisticated form of protein. It is a very strong type of connective tissue. Collagen literally holds you together! You would fall apart without it, as it holds your skeleton together, attaches your muscles to bones, keeps organs in place, with skin wrapped around it all. However, collagen needs the right fats to be provided in the diet, to keep the skin moist and well lubricated. Collagen and fat work together to create soft, smooth and well lubricated skin, which is protected from the elements and ages well.
Severe skin ailments
Some people have a more severe reaction to a lack of the right fats, and they experience red, inflamed skin, that is itchy and sore. When skin becomes extremely irritated, it can lead to severe skin complaints, such as eczema, which is one of the most common skin ailments and is characterized by red, blotchy, angry skin, which cracks and weeps, and creates great discomfort and distress for the sufferer.
There are other factors that will also influence the health of your skin
In addition to the lack of EFA's, there are other factors that can also influence the well being of your skin. You must reduce your consumption of refined carbohydrates and increase your quota of green foods. If you are still faced with skin flare ups, you may have to investigate an intolerance to a specific food that you are eating regularly, such as wheat or dairy, as they have also been linked to skin flare-ups and sensitivity.
Some people notice that their skin starts to itch it specific places, often where their eczema flares up, when they eat certain foods, so you may need to keep a diary about what you are eating. In this way you will be able to pinpoint whether a specific food does cause your skin to flare up.
Remember that you are not what you eat - you are what you absorb! If you have a food intolerance or allergy, your body will be battling to absorb and utilize the nutrients that it requires for optimal health, so your skin will reflect this problem. However, the eczema are the foundation of great skin so when they are present in your diet, you have the starting point of the solution, to skin that is soft, moist and healthy. Wonderfully, your skin is not the only part of your body that will benefit from the right fats, because every single cell including the cells of your brain require them. But if you have a skin condition, all you want is soft, velvety, moist skin first, with every other benefit being a bonus. Fortunately this can be accomplished by using the right fats.
Delia McCabe is a Nutritional Neuroscience Researcher. She has a Masters degree in Psychology and has been doing research for over ten years. Her specific area of interest is Essential Fatty Acids and how they effect brain and general health. She has discovered that many chronic illnesses and mental health problems can be traced back to a lack of Essential Fats. Find out if you are deficient by doing the quick assessment at http://www.deliahealth.com/.
No comments:
Post a Comment