Mother Natures Secret To Beautiful Skin

If you want beautiful skin you must keep it hydrated. Keeping your skin hydrated involves more than just drinking water and putting on a moisturizer, although those are important.

The real secret to beautiful skin is making sure that the cells in our skin remain healthy.

Introducing....Omega-3

It's been widely known that omega 3 fatty acids are vital for a healthy heart and brain but studies are now showing that omega-3 plays an important role in the health of our skin.

Even with all the studies that have been done on EFAs (essential fatty acids) that prove just how important they are to our health, a recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, shows a typical western diet contains only 15% of the optimal amount of omega-3 fatty acids.

It is no wonder that millions of people suffer from dry skin.

The Role Of Omega-3 For Beautiful Skin

The richest source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, or EFA for short is in oily fish like salmon, trout, halibut and most other cold-water fish.

Omega-3 fatty acids are present in every cell in our body, including the cells in our skin. The cell walls are made of lecithin (which is a fat-like substance protecting the cells from oxidation) and essential fatty acids.

EFAs are responsible for the health of the cell membrane, which is the gate keeper into and out of the cell. It allows nutrients to come in and waste to go out.

When our cells are lacking sufficient EFAs, free radicals that attack our cells can gain access into the cells more easily. Once inside they start destroying cellular DNA. This can lead to dysfunctional cells and skin damage.

Damaged skin cells don't have the capacity to hold water or provide a proper lipid barrier (which is a sealant that the cells create to protect us from pathogens and to retain moisture).

This condition results in dry skin that is scaly, cracked, and prone to infection.

If left unchecked our dry skin can lose moisture by up to 80% simply from a change in weather, or taking a shower.

Even the benefits of applying moisturizers to the skin are short lived because the cells don't have the ability to retain the moisture.

Not only is having dry skin bad enough but it also takes part in triggering cold sores and other skin problems.

To combat this problem you need to replenish your body with lecithin and essential fatty acids, which can be found in high doses from cold water fish (especially salmon), soy bean extracts, and nuts.

Not All Omega-3s Are Created Equal

There are three common forms of omega-3 found in foods:

1. ALA - Primarily found in flaxseed, soy, walnuts, and canola oil.

2. EPA - Primarily found in oily fish such as anchovies, sardines, salmon, and mackerel and other cold water fish.

3. DHA - Also found in oily fish.

ALA is different bioactively than EPA and DHA. ALA is not known to have any specific function other than as a precursor to EPA and DHA.

Our bodies have to convert ALA to EPA and DHA and the conversion rate is low and inefficient, and will not produce the levels of EPA and DHA that is needed to take advantage of their health benefits.

About The Author

Steve Billesberger lives in Edmonton Alberta with his wife and small dog. He's a owner/operator of a couple of sites one of which is a health and wellness site. He is a big believer in feeding the body what it needs to heal and maintain optimal health. Along with many other benefits a proper diet can accelerate weight loss as well as protect us from skin problems such as cold sores, etc.