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Can Eating Oranges Save Your Skin?

Vitamin C may help you look younger.

By Brierley Wright, for EatingWell Magazine, March/April 2008

Searching for a way to look young for your age? Hit the produce aisle, suggests new research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Analyzing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I (NHANES I)—a survey that asks people to quantify how often they eat various foods—researchers from Unilever linked consuming plenty of vitamin C-rich foods (such as oranges, tomatoes and strawberries) with youthful skin. “Our findings suggest that a higher intake of vitamin C from foods is associated with a lower risk of having wrinkled skin and age-related skin dryness in [middle-aged] women,” says Maeve Cosgrove, Ph.D., who led the research.

Vitamin C’s youthful effects on skin may be due to its antioxidant properties, which help protect against ultraviolet rays, and its role in keeping skin firm via collagen synthesis, say the researchers.

Bottom line: Eating more vitamin-C rich foods, such as oranges, tomatoes, strawberries and broccoli, may be a secret to smoother skin.

Recipes to try:

Carrot Saute with Ginger & Orange
Gnocchi with Tomatoes, Pancetta & Wilted Watercress
Grapefruit Chicken Satay Salad
Strawberry-Mango Margarita Compote
Healthy Aging Recipes and Menus
Healthy Antioxidant Rich Recipes and Tips

Learn more:

• Learn everything you need to know about vitamin C—and how to get it—in our nutrient library.
• Get a boost of vitamin C from our delicious broccoli recipes.
• Tomato-mania! Recipes to deliver healthy amounts of vitamin C.
• Discover the synergistic benefits of vitamin C + iron (and other nutrient combos).
• Learn more about aging well in our Healthy Aging Diet Center.

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