Diet guru Dr Michael Mosley has revealed that he has tried - in the name of science - all manner of anti-ageing methods including Botox, micro-needling, and a host of creams. However, the 66-year-old said there was one kind of ‘superfood’ which can stimulate the production of some of the key ingredients in expensive facial lotions in our skins - and beat all of those other kinds of anti-wrinkle products.
Speaking on his ‘Stay Young’ broadcast on BBC Radio 4, Dr Mosley, who is behind the famous 5:2 and Fast 800 eating plans said that brightly coloured fruit and vegetables were the easy and natural way of doing your best to stay young looking. He said that his own youthful looks were down to following this special diet ingredient.
He said: “Now I’m 66 years old and I’ve tried all sorts of ways to look younger including Botox, micro-needling, creams. I once even had my face burnt with a device which looked like a red hot iron.
“All in the name of science obviously and none of these approaches were impressive enough to make me want to go back for more. At my age and after a lifetime of regularly getting sunburnt you might expect me to look really wrinkly.
“But I’m not. It could be because of my skin type or it could be because of something I’ve just pulled out of the oven. It’s something I eat a lot of and which it’s claimed can reduce wrinkles, thicken collagen, boost mood and protect me from a host of illnesses.”
Getting something out of the oven, Dr Mosley explained: “This is a tray of bright-coloured vegetables, freshly roasted and delicious. I know it sounds unlikely but there is some pretty convincing science behind the skin benefits of fruit and veg, especially the brightly coloured ones.
“That’s what I have here - they include tomatoes, red peppers, butternut squash and sweet potatoes, plus, of course, carrots.”
The vegetables contain carotenoids, Dr Mosley said, compounds that give carrots, mangoes and tomatoes their bright red and orange colour – and they have been shown to boost your skin’s collagen and moisture, improving wrinkles, skin plumpness and texture.
Dr Mosley added: “Research has shown that your collagen levels and wrinkles can be greatly improved with diet. Several large-scale studies have found that those who eat more vegetables have far fewer wrinkles and plumper skin. One study found that eating lots of colourful veg - around 250 grams a day - was key to looking young.
“Why? Well, plants contain an impressive array of anti-ageing compounds and when it comes to your skin one of the most important are the carotenoids. As the name suggests you can find them in carrots, but they’re also in many other yellow, orange and red fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, melons and mangoes.”
“Carotenoids are chemical cousins of retinol, considered to be the anti-ageing compound when it comes to wrinkles. They’re highly effective anti-oxidants which can protect your skin at the cellular level. In lab tests carotenoids have been shown to protect collagen-producing skin fibroblasts from damage caused by UV radiation and oxidative stress - both big drivers of skin ageing.
“Carotenoids can also skin cells into producing higher lauric acid, the ingredient in many anti-ageing creams and fillers which can help your skin retain moisture.” Dr Mosley said it also gives collagen production a boost.
