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Omega-3 Benefits For Skin

benefits of omega-3 oils on the skin, oil jug, smoked salmon, nuts on kitchen counter

Omega-3 Benefits For Skin

Omega-3 fatty acids and oils are well known for their potential health benefits, especially for the skin. They have been well researched in regard to how they can assist with various dermatological or skin conditions.

The skin is the bodyโ€™s outermost organ and is often neglected when it comes to health. Supplemental omega-3 fatty acids are often used to assist with inflammatory skin conditions. Omega 3 is used to help manage psoriasis, acne and atopic dermatitis. Omega-3 is a cost-effective supplement, with a high safety profile, making Omega 3 really popular with nutritionists and clinicians. This falls under natural and dietary targeted treatments for skin conditions. Letโ€™s look at omega 3 in detail and how it benefits the skin.

Omega 3 & The Skin

Omega 3 forms a large component of many popular food oils. They are fatty acids essential for the maintenance of your cell membranes, that form the outer protective coating of your cells.

In the earliest years of their discovery, people were seen to have symptoms of fat reduction in their diet. This included skin itching, hair loss and water loss. It became clear that certain fats were essential, because of the inability of the human body to produce them. Some fatty acids or fats can only be provided through dietary intake.

Omega-3 fatty acids fell into this category, because of their specific polyunsaturated fatty acid structure. An example of one omega 3 fatty acid is alpha-linolenic acid. You may have also heard of EPA and DHA, these are also example of omega-3 fatty acids. They are thought to be important in reducing bodily inflammation. The best sources of EPA and DHA seem to be from fish oils, fatty fish and various seafoods.

jugs of oils, nuts, grilled fish, shrimps and salmon on kitchen counter top

Benefits Of Omega-3 Consumption On Acne

Consuming various foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, including seafoods, seems to have a positive effect on acne. Inflammatory chemicals within the body responsible for sebum production are down regulated through proper omega-3 fatty acid nutrition.

In many cases acne sufferers also seem to be under oxidative stress and marine lipids, including omega-3, are thought to have anti-inflammatory effects. Omega-3 seems to have a positive influence on brain health and mood, corresponding with positive outcomes on anxiety. This is thought to have a positive effect on acne too. This suggests that omega-3 could be of benefit in the prevention of acne.

Benefits of Omega-3 On Skin Inflammation

Various metabolites of omega-3 fatty acids show anti-inflammatory actions. Some of these influence diseases such as psoriasis, while omega-3 seems to promote healthy skin wound healing. Psoriasis is skin disorder where itchy plaques form. The metabolites of omega-3 seem to positively influence multiple skin disorders through replenishing the skin barrier.

Metabolites of omega-3 have also been linked to the suppression of an aggressive cancer called melanoma. There are various studies expressing that omega-3 is implicated in reducing skin cell cancers. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to be able to restrict cell growth and cause cell death of malfunctioning cells. These effects are still being fully explored, but omega-3 shows potential benefits as a nutraceutical against various inflammatory diseases. The anti-cancer effects are likely to result for an overarching regulation of the cell growth cycle or signalling. Because of their anti-inflammatory actions, omega-3 fatty acids may play a role in the development of skin cancers.

Benefits of Omega-3 On Skin Inflammation

Skin Sun Damage & Omega-3

Because of how essential fatty acids are to maintaining healthy cell membranes, it would be natural to suggest that omega-3 fatty acids can be of benefit against weather damage. Studies show that a healthy intake of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids can help to guard against sunburn and harmful skin radiation. This is thought to be through their bioactive effects on skin health. Supplementing with ALA, an omega-3 fatty acid, was shown to improve key cell membrane components, such as phospholipids. These are important in supporting skin health and durability.

Ensuring that the outer cell membrane is completely supported with all the components it needs is vital to its day to day function. This is particularly important for skin cells. Higher levels of omega-3 intake during skin sun exposure also reduces the activation of some cell protection measures. This suggests that omega-3 supports a reduction in cell stress caused by sun exposure.

Skin application of EPA promotes the expression of pro-collagen and other elastic fibre components that reduce photoaging. The use of topical omega-3 fatty acids, as a cream, has also been shown to protect the skin from sun damage. Omega-3 intake is linked to reduced sun induced inflammatory damage. This is really important in the prevention of skin cancers. Elevated omega-3 uptake is linked to a reduction in incidences of skin cancer. All of this points to omega-3 fatty acids playing a role in being able to mediate damage from the sun.

Effect Of Cooking On Omega-3

If you are convinced on the health benefits of omega-3, then you might be looking to improve your intake. Something important to note when improving omega-3 oil uptake is its response to high temperature cooking. This is something we discuss a lot here. Cooking modifies food and can reduce the nutritional benefits of your food, however it reduces risk of illnesses.

Omega-3 fatty acids are best eaten in uncooked oil-bearing foods. All fats and fatty acids undergo lipid oxidation through cooking. This leads to the accumulation of free radicals in the cooking oil. Free radicals can cause damage to your DNA and therefore cancer.

This pretty much negates a lot of the health benefits consuming oils in the first place. Eating omega-3 oil-bearing foods raw, like olives or nuts, or those foods cooked in the right way is generally accepted as the healthiest means to consume fatty acids. The cooking process also reduces the nutritional content of the omega-3 oils from foods, through thermal degradation. ย This occurs through the degradation of bonds in the food. For the full benefits of omega-3 to the skin from eating your food, this is something to consider.

frying pan cooking stir fry with chicken strips

Conclusion

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for optimal health. They are essential polyunsaturated fatty acids because they canโ€™t be produced within the body. For many years, researchers have identified healthy fats as being crucial to your diet. Lack of dietary fats has been linked to symptoms such as hair loss and skin itching.

This early research with dietary restriction of fat suggested that healthy fats, like omega-3, were of benefit to optimal skin health.

As an increasing part of preventative treatments of skin disorders like psoriasis, omega-3 shows many different benefits to skin health. In particular, omega-3 fatty acids might be of benefit to prevent inflammatory aggravation of skin acne. Omega-3 fatty acids, such as DPA and EPA, seem to reduce sun induced inflammatory damage. Topical or skin application of EPA might be able to reduce photoaging.

For those looking to increase their intake of omega-3, generally it is best consumed through raw foods rich in omega-3. This includes eating foods such as olives or nuts. Cooking with oils can lead to lipid oxidation and the accumulation of DNA damaging free radicals in your food.

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