Suffer from bad skin? Doctors say too much of your favourite food could be to blame. For healthy skin, people need a balanced diet, even if it occasionally means eating something you like less. A varied and balanced diet provides important nutrients like vitamins, minerals, as well as proteins and fats that work to keep your skin glowing.
"People who do not have a balanced diet run the risk of having skin problems," says Christiane Bayerl, director of the Dermatology and Allergy department at the HELIOS clinic in Germany.
The skin is the body's largest organ, and its health also depends on how much sleep you get, your genes, sunlight and other factors.
Every day it is exposed to harmful substances. These exposures result in free radicals, unstable atoms capable of causing cell damage, entering the body. Most of the time the body intercepts free radicals, but if there are too many they can effect skin health.
"To prevent damage from free radicals, your diet should be rich in antioxidants," professor Bayerl explained.
Antioxidants are natural compounds, like vitamins C and E, that prevent free radicals from harming the body's cells. Beta-carotene and minerals selenium and zinc are also antioxidants.
Nutritionist Gabriele Graf also emphasised the importance of vitamins and minerals for a healthy complexion.
"Vitamin A is needed for the renewal of skin cells and can be found in milk, carrots or fish," she said.
Vitamin C plays a role in regulating skin moisture, and vitamins E and B also play a role in skin renewal. These vitamins are found in grains, vegetables and in milk products.