Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
The four critical vitamins for optimal skin health and which food sources and supplements are best for getting natural forms into the diet.
The beauty business, a $43 billion industry, is filled with topical solutions to make skin healthier and clearer. Improvements in complexion and tone and even promises of miracle anti-aging effects lure consumers to buy, buy, BUY.
As large as the beauty industry is, however, only a very small part is focused on the very important internal factor that contributes to skin health.
As a Registered Dietician Nutritionist and Nutritional Therapist, skincare is a subject near and dear to my heart. For years I suffered from skin issues, specifically acne and red, dry, unsightly bumps on the back of my arms and upper thighs. It has taken me years to understand the cause of my skin issues, even with a healthy diet in place.
It is my most passionate subject to address and work with in regards to health. The one thing I have learned from clients with skin issues is that there is no one way to address them, yet I have always seen improvement when targeting internal health rather than the pure focus being external.
Vitamin Deficiencies of the Skin
Addressing deficiencies of particular nutrients beneficial to skin health is a great starting point, but may not be the only answer. Any internal inflammation can also affect the appearance of the skin.
This could include consuming inflammatory foods, food sensitivities, intestinal parasites, or digestive distress that can lead to leaky gut, bacterial overgrowth, malabsorption, and increased susceptibility to infections.
Dr. Georgianna Donadio, PhD, DC, MSc and founder of the National Institute of Whole Health states:
Your skin is the fingerprint of what is going on inside your body, and all skin conditions, from psoriasis to acne to aging, are the manifestations of your body’s internal needs, including its nutritional needs.
The first step to start working on improving your skin is most definitely through diet. This will begin to address the root problem, as using special creams and soaps is only treating symptoms, and even then does a minimal job at best.
Poor nutrition in many cases can be the answer for a surprising number of people. Even if it may not be the only solution one may need, it is crucial for allowing the skin to heal and reduce inflammation.
Your skin needs many nutrients: vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and antioxidants to keep it looking its best. Let’s take a look at four specific vitamins to make sure you are getting in your diet as they are critical to skin health.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A, also known as retinol, is frequently used in conventional skin treatments, both topically and internally, especially in regards to acne. Deficiencies of vitamin A can exacerbate skin conditions and can cause symptoms such as dry, flaky, rough, and scaly skin.
A common sign of vitamin A deficiency is keratosis pilaris, which results in red bumps on the back of the arms.
I personally had this for years, and recently have been able to successfully address it by supplementing with true vitamin A, but also by treating the deeper cause of why there was a vitamin A deficiency in the first place.
Plant vs Animal Sources
A common mistake people make when trying to get more of this nutrient into the diet is mistaking beta carotene for true Vitamin A.
The main difference is that true vitamin A is the active form that can be used immediately by the body. Beta carotene, however, must be converted by the body into the active form. The conversion of beta carotene to retinol by the digestive tract is inefficient at best. For those with gut problems, it may not occur at all.
In marketing, there is no distinction between these forms and therefore many people think they are getting vitamin A through plant foods, such as carrots, leafy greens, and sweet potatoes, when they are really only receiving carotenes.
Food Sources
True sources of vitamin A come from animal sources alone. Thus, vegans are at special risk for deficiency.
Examples include virgin cod liver oil and organ meats like grass-fed liver. Other excellent food sources include pastured cream, butter, and egg yolks.
It is also important to note that vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin. This means that you need to consume fat with it to absorb it or convert it from carotenes from plant sources.
It is much easier for the body to use the straight form of vitamin A. In other words, relying on needed co-factors to make the conversion from plant sources is inefficient at best.
It is these nutrient-dense sources of Vitamin A from animal foods that can really help to improve overall skin health with increased dietary intake.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C has many benefits and truly is a super nutrient. Being an antioxidant, it helps to repair damage caused by overexposure to sun or toxins, especially when consumed with vitamin E. It also helps to support collagen and overall skin tone- a natural anti-ager and rejuvenator.
You can safely take in vitamin C up to 1,000 milligrams per day, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Just be aware that high dosages of vitamin C can cause loose bowels and even headaches, so adjust accordingly.
Beware of lab isolated Vitamin C, aka ascorbic acid, which is a synthetic form and usually GMO derived!
Food sources
Citrus, acerola cherries, camu camu berries, bell peppers, guava, leafy greens, parsley, cooked broccoli, and strawberries make excellent sources.
A quality, whole food vitamin C supplement is an excellent way to ensure you get enough.
Vitamin E
Natural vitamin E is another common nutrient and antioxidant in mainstream skin treatments.
It is helpful in reducing the appearance of wrinkles, and like whole food-based vitamin C, helps to repair damage. Like vitamin A, it is a fat-soluble vitamin, but the most abundant found in the skin itself. Be sure to eat whole food sources with healthy fats to absorb and utilize.
Food sources
Sunflower seeds, almonds, spinach, chard, prunes, tomatoes, cabbage, asparagus, avocados, and pure extra virgin olive oil are all excellent food sources. Wheat germ oil is also a good source, but consider that wheat germ is a highly processed food.
Vitamin K2
Vitamin K2 is a lesser-known vitamin in mainstream health and therefore is a common missing link in the modern diet. This amazing and underappreciated nutrient helps with calcium utilization, the key factor in maintaining both bone and cardiovascular health.
If you are wondering if the plant versus animal form of K2 is best, the linked article explains the differences in detail.
More recently, research has shown Vitamin K2’s importance in activating proteins responsible for healthy tissues, making K2 critical to prevent and reduce wrinkles.
This elusive nutrient is also synergistic for the proper absorption and metabolism of Vitamins A and D.
Vitamin A is recommended frequently by dermatologists. But, when was the last time you were told to supplement with vitamin K2 in conjunction? Food sources are best as they will have a natural synergy with vitamins A and D.
Food sources
Fermented foods like sauerkraut and non-GMO natto along with full fat pastured dairy products such as butter and cream, egg yolks, and liver are good sources. Note that conventional dairy products from grain-fed animals will NOT contain any vitamin K2 unless they are fermented. Fermentation produces the MK-7 form of K2.
Grassfed butter oil or ghee contains the MK-4 (animal) version of K2. MK-4 is more potent than MK-7, but doesn’t last as long in the body.
If you are looking for a good K2 supplement, emu oil also is a good dairy-free source of MK-4 and natto extract provides a potent form of MK-7.
Conclusion
Make sure that you take into consideration common food sensitivities, as many people may not be able to tolerate some natural sources of these skin-loving vitamins.
Always listen to your body and watch for reactions. These may be immediate or delayed by a day or more.
Exercising discretion with the sources you choose ensures that your digestion will cooperate to produce the most glowing skin imaginable!
References
(1) Nutrition and Nutritional Supplementation
(2) Nutrients for Healthy Skin. Inside and Out
Please note that Vit A can be toxic and should not be taken in doses over 25000 IU per day…counting the fish oils and butter oils. Also if you are dairy sensitive, you can take natto for Vit K2. It is a safe soy product. You can check it out on the Weston Price site.
The toxicity concern is related to synthetic Vitamin A. Numerous discussions in response to repeated warnings about vitamin A toxicity appear in several interesting articles from the Wise Traditions journals, also available online. According to the vitamin A section of the Vitamin Primer on the Weston Price website, “High levels of natural vitamin A have no toxic effects, in spite of the medical establishment’s dire warnings to the contrary.”
Researchers at the Weston A. Price Foundation have determined that vitamin A works synergistically with vitamin D, and with an adequate base level of vitamin D of about 1,000 IU per day, vitamin A is not toxic even at very high doses, even in the millions of units. The best ratio of A:D is 10:1 (10 units of A to 1 unit of D).
Here’s an especially helpful quote from an article on the westonaprice.org website that
states, “…concerns about vitamin A toxicity are exaggerated. While some forms of synthetic vitamin A found in supplements can be toxic at only moderately high doses, fat-soluble vitamin A naturally found in foods like cod liver oil, liver, and butterfat is safe at up to ten times the doses of water-soluble, solidified and emulsified vitamin A found in some supplements that produce toxicity. Additionally, the vitamin D found in cod liver oil and butterfat from pasture raised animals protects against vitamin A toxicity, and allows one to consume a much higher amount of vitamin A before it becomes toxic. Liver from land mammals is high in vitamin A but low in vitamin D, and should therefore be consumed with other vitamin D-rich foods such as lard or bacon from pasture-raised pigs, egg yolks, and oily fish, or during months in which UV-B light is sufficient to provide one with adequate vitamin D.”
Helpful sources:
http://www.westonaprice.org/cod-liver-oil/cod-liver-oilbasics#clarify
http://www.westonaprice.org/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-primer
http://www.westonaprice.org/fat-soluble-activators/vitamin-a-saga
Thank you for this Beth. Yes, I agree, which is why food is your best medicine. If people choose to supplement it is only temporarily to relieve symptoms and get adequate levels back up because the ratio is thrown off with other co-factors.
Interesting article!
Do all fermented foods contain vitamin K2, both fermented animal foods AND vegetables? Is it because the microorganisms involved in the fermenting process produce this vitamin?
Great question! No not many contain vitamin K2, only certain bacteria, it depends on the cultures you are using to ferment, usually just using salt will not do it. Yes, it is because the microorganisms produce it!
Thanks for the great article. I found it very helpful.
Glad you got benefit from it Heather!
During the past year, after switching over to a WAPF diet (as well as being pregnant and then breastfeeding), my skin has taken a dramatic turn for the worse. My keratosis pilaris flared up, my skin got extremely dry, and I developed perioral dermatitis. I took cod liver oil and ate all the right things. After reading about the dangers of PUFAs, I even began to use less olive oil for cooking. I am seeing a slight improvement after dramatically increasing olive oil consumption and decreasing lard and other saturated fats. However, it doesn’t make sense to me. The only thing I was using on my skin was coconut oil, and it did not seem to help any of my skin problems at all.
I had a similar reaction when I increased my fat intake. It could be that your not properly digesting fats and that can cause skin problems, especially dry and flaky skin. If your having digestion problems that is the first place to start. I will be writing a post on this soon!
About using coconut oil as a moisturizer… I tried it and expected it to work wonders because lots of people were raving about it. I couldn’t bring myself to use the regular ‘toxic’ petrochemical lotions anymore and so, over a few weeks (not having luck finding an alternative I liked), my skin started drying out… and THEN I started using coconut oil on this already dried-out skin – and it made it worse, apparently. I mean, my skin had never been so parched before (and I live in a humid, tropical city) – I thought it might have been something autoimmune or systemic.
I went to the dermatologist out of desperation, who said that oil on dry skin makes it even more dry because oil doesn’t lock in hydration (and if there’s no hydration in the first place, it’s even worse). This was a ‘conventionally-trained’ derm, so I left some room for any bias she might have against ‘natural remedies’ – in any case, I stopped moisturizing with the oil and found a non-toxic lotion at a store (Danish brand called Urtekram) and things seem to be back to normal, hydration-wise. I’m bummed about this… but maybe coconut oil works if your skin is well hydrated to begin with…? I will continue to Eat coconut oil and all those good fats, of course, and let it work from the inside out.
eeeeeeeeeeee44—————————————–
Now that looks like something my cat would type!
🙂
I typically do not do dairy as I feel a have a sensitivy with congestion and generally feel nose stuffiness. However, I do take the FCLO and High Butter Oil. When I recently stopped the High butter oil my cogestion a stuffiness cleared. What do you reccomend in place of the butter oil? Also what do you reccommend as the best source of Vitamin C- I was taking the Radiance C capsules, but not sure how many to take to get the recommended 500 to 1000 mg. Thanks for the great post.
I would stick with the other food sources of K2 like liver and egg yolks. Natto is also high in K2 though it is soy, so careful here. Vitamin C is easily obtained through the diet, especially in the summer time with the array of fresh produce and fruits. If you want to supplement, just look at the serving size to see how much to take to get to the 500-1000mg.
Hope that helps!
this is an excellent article. I have that ketosis pilaris and have tried everything. Now I know wht the deal is and Im on it. And it Sseems that cod liver oil is good for so many things.
Yes! This is a an excellent resource I started with that symptomatically helped me with KP. http://bit.ly/11gAisl
How is your journey with the kp going
A timely post. Thanks for the reminders. Sharing.
Thank you Karen!
Do you recommend supplementing with gelatin/collagen?
Absolutely! This is wonderful to improve skin texture and tone.
GELATIN!!