AAD
  • Registration
  • Daily Coverage
  • Industry Highlights
  • Product Samples
  • Program
  • Media Gallery
Topics
  • Daily Coverage
  • Industry Highlights
  • Product Samples
  • Program
  • Media Gallery
Resources
  • Registration
Facebook iconInstagram iconTwitter icon
Mar 22, 2022

What’s in your walnut? Nutrition’s part in good skin health

The foods that affect your skin, hair, and nails.


Role Of Nutrition

Are your patients malnourished? Very possibly, even if they are overweight or obese. Americans tend to be terrible eaters, or don’t eat enough of the right things.

Overweight and obese individuals may be malnourished in other ways,” said Martina Cartwright, PhD, MS, director of continuing professional education at the University of Arizona School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness in Tucson, Arizona.

“Overconsumption of calories often goes along with underconsumption of key nutrients — balance is critical. Overweight and obesity cause chronic, smoldering inflammation, which may impact the severity and incidence of some skin problems. Nutrition can also have a profound impact on hair texture and maintenance,” she said.

Dr. Cartwright focused on the latest evidence in the role of essential nutrients in skin health as part of the session F061 – The Role of Nutrition in Skin Health, led by Wilma Bergfeld, MD, FAAD. Most Americans get enough B vitamins, Dr. Cartwright explained, but tend to lack vitamins C and D as well as sufficient iron and other micronutrients essential to skin and hair health.

“Skin issues may appear with over- or undernutrition,” Dr. Cartwright said. “Too much or too little of a particular nutrient can result in skin problems, including hair issues.” Martina Cartwright, PhD, MSMartina Cartwright, PhD, MS

Inflammation is central to many, perhaps most, skin disorders, she added, and the influence of dietary patterns varies with the skin disease involved.

  • Skim milk and other dairy products (not including yogurt or cheese) and high glycemic foods may aggravate acne, for example.
  • Psoriasis is linked to obesity, elevated serum glucose levels, and cardiovascular disease risk.
  • Rosacea is exacerbated by spicy and hot foods and may be aggravated by cola, soy, processed meats, and other foods rich in histamine.
  • On a positive note, HMB, beta hydroxy beta methyl butyrate, a metabolite of leucine, can profoundly improve wound healing.

“The meal pattern that seems to benefit the skin the most is the Mediterranean diet,” Cartwright said. “It is anti-inflammatory and micronutrient rich with a good balance of micronutrients. Fostering better nutritional habits takes time and patience. Change starts with small changes and encouragement. A Mediterranean meal plan may reduce inflammation.”

The two-hour session on nutrition also featured Dr. Bergfield discussing nutrition for health hair and scalp; nutrition’s role in the development of acne, rosacea, and other skin conditions presented by Seemal R. Desai, MD, FAAD; and a presentation on the impact of nutrients and dietary patterns on aging by Emmy M. Graber, MD, MBA, FAAD. 


There are a number of macronutrients and micronutrients needed to maintain homeostasis, as well as adequate amounts of water and electrolytes, primarily sodium and potassium, according to Dr. Cartwright. Adequate levels of both protein and fat are necessary.

  • Protein is essential to maintain the skin barrier and participates in wound healing.
  • Fat promotes skin softness and maintains moisture. Important micronutrients include vitamins and minerals.
  • Vitamin C is essential for collagen formation, an important component in wound healing and limiting the signs of aging.
  • Vitamin A plays roles in skin structure and function while sister compound beta carotene and other carotenoids are potent antioxidants. Typical American dietary patterns can be deficient in carotenoids because of low fruit and vegetable intake.
  • Vitamin D is synthesized in part in the skin and participates in wound healing.
  • Vitamin E is an important antioxidant, as are zinc, copper, and selenium.
  • Iron, the most common dietary deficiency in the U.S., is required for wound healing.

Visit AAD DermWorld Meeting News Central for more articles.

Interesting Stories
Advancing Therapeutic Conversations
Presented by AbbVie
Advancing Therapeutic Conversations
Join Us to Learn More About SOTYKTU<sup>TM</sup> (deucravacitinib):
Presented by Bristol Myers Squibb
Join Us to Learn More About SOTYKTUTM (deucravacitinib):
Janssen-Sponsored Symposium
Presented by Janssen Biotech, Inc.
Janssen-Sponsored Symposium
Prurigo Nodularis and Atopic Dermatitis:
Presented by Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Prurigo Nodularis and Atopic Dermatitis:
What makes a biosimilar and an Interchangeable biosimilar different?
Presented by Boehringer Ingelheim
What makes a biosimilar and an Interchangeable biosimilar different?
Beyond the Scalp: Deciphering the Complexities of Alopecia Areata...
Presented by Pfizer Inc.
Beyond the Scalp: Deciphering the Complexities of Alopecia Areata...
Residents and Young Physicians: Your Guide to the AAD Annual Meeting
Presented by Neutrogena
Residents and Young Physicians: Your Guide to the AAD Annual Meeting
More in Daily Coverage
Session Director Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, FAAD
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
When it looks and itches like atopic dermatitis. But isn’t.
Apr 07, 2023
Left to right: Kelly Tyler, MD, FAAD, and Howa Yeung, MD, FAAD
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
Lifting the veil
Apr 07, 2023
Session director Trilokraj Tejasvi, MD, MBBS
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
Decoding the benefits and burdens of technology in dermatology
Apr 07, 2023
Left to right: Rebecca I. Hartman, MD, MPH, FAAD, Abigail Baird Waldman, MD, FAAD, and Emily S. Ruiz, MD, FAAD.
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
Surgery is not the only option for skin cancers
Apr 07, 2023
Terrence A. Cronin Jr., MD, FAAD
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
From 17 to 20,000: New president accepts challenge of Academy’s 85-year growth
Apr 07, 2023
Left to right: Maria Aleshin, MD, FAAD, and Silvina Pugliese, MD, FAAD
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
Beyond the familiar
Apr 07, 2023
Safi Bahcall
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
Nurture the unexpected
Mar 20, 2023
Richard L. Gallo, MD, PhD, FAAD
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
New approach uses microbiome to treat skin disease
Mar 20, 2023
Camp Discovery 92
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
Refer a patient to Camp Discovery!
Mar 20, 2023
Amy J. McMichael, MD, FAAD
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
A question of belonging
Mar 20, 2023
David J. Margolis, MD, PhD, FAAD
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
Dermatologists top the list in antibiotic prescriptions
Mar 20, 2023
22 698 Ia23 Web Card 3x2
AAD 2023 Annual Meeting
Mark your calendar for Innovation Academy 2023
Join the learning
Mar 20, 2023
AAD
Facebook iconInstagram iconTwitter icon
© Ascend Media All rights reserved. DermWorld Meeting News Central is a publication of the American Academy of Dermatology.