Beauty Benefits: A new skin health study

What you snack on may reduce wrinkles. And more.

Recent research from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) suggests that regular almond snacking may offer more than one benefit for aging skin.

This second study on almonds and wrinkles was conducted under the direction of Dr. Raja Sivamani, associate professor of dermatology at UC Davis. The study specifically investigated the impact of daily almond snacking on facial wrinkles and overall skin pigmentation in postmenopausal women.¹  

How can almonds reduce your wrinkles and help even skin tone?

Here’s what the research team found: 
 

Study participants:

49 postmenopausal women with Fitzpatrick skin type I or II (the skin types most susceptible to sunburn) completed the study.

Study design:

Participants were randomly assigned to an almond snacking group or a control group. Those in the almond snacking group ate about 20% of their total daily calorie intake in the form of almonds, or 340 calories per day on average (about 2 one-ounce servings).  The control group ate a nut-free snack that also accounted for 20% of calories: a fig bar, granola bar or pretzels. Aside from these snacks, study participants ate their regular diets and did not eat any nuts or nut-containing products. 

Study results:

Skin assessments were made at the start of the study, and again at 8 weeks, 16 weeks and 24 weeks. At each of these visits, facial wrinkles and facial pigment intensity were assessed using high-resolution facial imaging and validated 3-D facial modeling and measurement. Skin hydration, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and sebum excretion were also assessed. 

• Researchers found a statistically significant reduction in wrinkle severity and improvement in overall skin pigmentation- which may be referred to as more even skin tone -  in the group consuming almonds: at the 6 month mark:  Wrinkle severity decreased by 16% 
• Overall pigment intensity decreased by 20%

The future of almonds and skin health.

These findings are promising and leave us craving further investigation. More research is planned to continue investigating almonds’ role in other areas of skin health. 

Essential nutrients to complement your skin care routine.

When it comes to nutrition, almonds deliver 6 grams of plant protein, 4g of fiber and multiple essential vitamins and minerals. If smart nutrition looks as good as it feels, almonds could become the tastiest addition to your skincare routine.

Here’s what you get in a one-ounce handful (study participants ate two one-ounce servings, so they got all of this goodness x 2!)

The Study: Forty-nine healthy, postmenopausal women with Fitzpatrick skin type I (always burns, never tans) or II (usually burns, tans minimally) who completed the study were randomly assigned to either an intervention or a control group. Almonds were provided as 20% of total daily calorie intake for the intervention group (340 calories/day on average), about 2 one-ounce servings  providing 2 grams of sugar. The control group consumed a calorie-matched nut-free snack in place of almonds daily:  fig bar, energy bar or pretzels, which provided on average 8 g of sugar. All participants were advised not to consume any nuts or nut-containing products over the course of the study (except for the almond snack for the intervention group). They otherwise were advised to continue their usual daily energy intake.

Skin assessments were conducted at baseline, 8 weeks, 16 weeks and 24 weeks. These assessments included measuring facial wrinkles, skin pigmentation, transepidermal water loss, skin hydration and sebum production.

Results:

• Photographic image analysis showed that the almond group had significant reductions in wrinkle severity, by 15% at week 16 and 16% at week 24, compared to the control group (P<0.05).
• Average facial pigment intensity was decreased by 20% at week 16 in the almond supplementation group and remained so at 20% at week 24. There was no improvement in facial pigment intensity in the control group.
• There were no changes in transepidermal water loss at any time point among the almond and control groups.
• At the end of the study, there were increases in skin hydration on the cheek and forehead among both groups, compared to baseline.
• Both groups showed a significant increase in sebum production on the cheeks, but only those in the control group showed a significant increase in the forehead sebum excretion rate, with an increase of 45% and 155% at weeks 16 and 24, respectively (p<0.05).

Study Limitations: Since this study was limited to 24 weeks, results do not provide insight into longer duration and effects of eating almonds. Additionally, the study participants were postmenopausal women with sun sensitive skin types Fitzpatrick I and II, so results cannot be generalized to younger, male or higher Fitzpatrick skin type populations. And, although the snacks in both groups were calorie-matched, they were not macronutrient-matched.

Conclusion: Results of this study suggest that daily consumption of almonds could be an effective dietary contributor to improving facial wrinkles and reducing skin pigmentation among postmenopausal women with Fitzpatrick skin types I and II. Further studies should expand the study population with participants who are younger and have higher Fitzpatrick skin types.