Two kiwifruits a day may keep the dermatologist away, according to recent research from the University of Otago, New Zealand.
Their new study found that golden kiwis – chosen for their high vitamin C content – improved collagen production, skin thickness, and skin regeneration among 24 study participants.
“Improved skin health is easily within reach,” the study’s senior author Prof Margreet Vissers – from Otago’s Centre for Redox Biology and Medicine – told BBC Science Focus. “We clearly demonstrated that improving your vitamin C intake, within normal dietary levels, will boost your skin health.”
In the study, 12 participants in Christchurch, New Zealand, and 12 in Hamburg, Germany, each ate two golden kiwis per day for eight weeks.
That means they were getting an extra 250mg of vitamin C every day – equivalent to about three and a half oranges, three servings of broccoli, or five handfuls of berries.
Scientists collected skin samples before and after the intervention, so they could analyse the impact of the extra vitamin C.
They found that the skin of every participant improved. This was true for several layers of skin, from deep below the surface where collagen is made, to the outer skin barrier that protects us from toxins in our environment.
Eating kiwis caused vitamin C levels to increase in the skin and blood plasma. This boosted collagen production, which in turn improved skin thickness.
Meanwhile, in the skin’s outer layers, extra vitamin C sped up the way cells regenerate, which in turn made the participants’ skin look healthier.
“We were surprised at the skin’s capacity to take up vitamin C,” said Vissers. “It appears that skin is more susceptible to changes in our dietary uptake than many other tissues in the body.”
Many people choose to apply vitamin C creams and serums, or take collagen supplements, to improve their skin – but this study suggests they may be better off eating fresh fruit and vegetables instead.
“Collagen is a known major component of the skin where it is the main structural component,” explained Vissers. “Loss of collagen in the skin is associated with signs of ageing, including wrinkling.”
She said she understood why individuals may choose to take collagen supplements, believing that it would improve collagen in the skin. But Vissers said this was “flawed thinking,” because this collagen was made by our skin cells.
Instead, Vissers recommended eating a well-balanced diet, including mostly plants, and one high vitamin C food per day – such as bell peppers, guava, kiwis, oranges, broccoli, cabbage or berries – to boost collagen production and improve your skin.
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