Becoming fitter, avoiding stress and sleeping longer as part of a balanced and healthy lifestyle may give skin an improved tone.
by Lucia Binding, Sky News , Wednesday 11 March 2020
Leading a healthy lifestyle can give skin a 'golden glow', research suggests
People who eat their fruits and veggies and exercise may have a "golden glow" to their skin, new research shows.
Becoming fitter, avoiding stress and sleeping longer as part of a balanced and healthy lifestyle all gave skin an improved tone, the study led by University of St Andrews found.
Previous studies have linked improvements in skin colour to a good diet, but the latest study examined the relationship between general health and skin tone.
Eating a diet rich in fruit and vegetables increases skin yellowness, thereby making it look healthier and more attractive.
The change in skin colour after eating lots of colourful produce is due to the accumulation of plant pigments in the skin, such as orange carotene from carrots and red lycopene from tomatoes.
The pigments - called carotenoids - also play an important role as antioxidants, which can help protect against damage from oxidative toxins caused by the likes of pollution, smoking and sugary foods, that can damage DNA and proteins.
Researchers found that skin yellowness could be an indicator of a person's health by demonstrating the body has enough antioxidant reserves and low levels of oxidative stress.
Scientists worked with 134 students for the study, measuring fitness from heart rate while walking and running on a treadmill.
Lead scientist for the study, Professor David Perrett, from the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of St Andrews, explained: "We assessed body fat levels with an impedance meter much like that available on many bathroom weighing scales.
"We measured skin colour with a device that records how a rainbow of colours is reflected from the skin.
Eating fruits and vegetables and keeping fit has been linked to a healthier skin tone
"We found that both high fitness and low body fat were associated with a higher skin yellowness.
"This yellower skin of fit individuals was not due to a better diet or from a suntan from being outdoors more."
The research team also assessed whether a change in health changed skin appearance.
They followed 59 students from sports clubs to measure the impact of their training on their skin, and found those who became fitter or lost body fat showed an increase in skin yellowness.
Meanwhile, increased psychological stress and lack of sleep was associated with a reduction in skin yellowness.
Researchers also used face images to examine how people perceived the impact of a healthier lifestyle on appearance.
Prof Perrett said: "For 21 observers we found the change in colour with increased fitness was visible and was judged as looking healthier on 90% of trials.
"This means that as people get healthier others should be able to notice the improvement in skin colour.
He added that skin colour changes were apparent within eight weeks of leading a healthier lifestyle.
The study is published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.
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