Whether the skin is good or not depends on this organ.

In the health and beauty industry, there is an area that has attracted more and more attention, and that is intestinal health-if you want good skin, you must first have a good intestinal tract. In fact, this topic is not new, and there is a strong concern in traditional Chinese and Western medicine. In the past, we judge whether we are aging or not. In most cases, we rely on the state of the skin. The skin is sagging, dark yellow and rough, and chloasma is clustered… But in fact, before the skin shows aging, it is the aging of the intestines.

Veteran Dutch supermodel Doutzen Kroes maintains a devil’s figure and perfect skin even after giving birth to two babies, thanks to her constant fitness and intestinal detoxification. She once shared on the social platform: “It is very important to use a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables to detoxify the intestines on a regular basis, because the toxins in the colon will not only cause a burden on the body, but also react on the skin, causing the skin to become dark and grow acne. problem.”

Doutzen is also very careful in her daily diet, she shared in an interview: “My mother always taught me how to eat healthily and only use organic vegetables when cooking. I grew up with a healthy and balanced diet. Long-term adherence to a clean diet, low gastrointestinal burden, and clean and delicate skin.”

Ken bean (Kendall Jenner) has shared in the video their own by changing the diet to clean up the intestines, effectively relieve acne tips, namely: do not eat dairy products. Although the phenomenon of acne caused by dairy products varies from person to person, it is more effective for her to reduce the intake of dairy products than external acne cream. She shared, “Dairy products accelerate the production of oil in my skin, causing clogged pores and increasing the frequency of acne.” If you have similar troubles and use acne skin care products that do not work, you can try to cut off dairy products lightly. Perhaps you can also have unexpected gains like Ken Dou.

In addition, with the recent popularity of “flowers and teenagers”, Qin Lan’s maintenance methods have also attracted much attention. She once shared her attitude towards diet in the video of her guest friends. On the premise of eating healthy and clean, she should supplement some vitamins and minerals in a targeted manner. In addition, she will add high-fiber ingredients such as chia seeds to the recipe, which can not only supplement the nutrients needed by the body, but also protect the stomach and prevent excess gastric acid from destroying the health of intestinal flora.

The American version of VOGUE interviewed Dr. Federeica Amati, a medical scientist and public health nutritionist, on the impact of intestinal health on the skin, and summed up seven key symptoms of intestinal health. you can first test yourself to see if your intestinal tract has a “crisis”.

1 Constipation or diarrhea
Constipation and diarrhea are both signs that the gut is not functioning regularly or that the gut flora is out of balance. (If the symptoms have exceeded 7 days, we must pay attention to them.)

2 Abdominal distension
Usually accompanied by irregular bowel movements or the first condition, the problem is more serious in the state of eating something or on an empty stomach.

3 Frequent exhaust
Often exhaust and smell bad.

4 acid reflux heartburn
There is a burning sensation, heartburn, nausea in the stomach.

5 Malnutrition
The body is dry and thin, loss of appetite, easy to edema, and easy to have barbs on the hands.

6 Poor mental state
Easy to feel anxious, irritable, tired, lack of energy

7 Poor skin condition
Prone to allergies, dermatitis, acne and eczema.

In 1908, Nobel Prize winner, Russian zoologist and immunologist Mechnikov Elie Metchnikoff once said: “Aging begins in the intestine.” Intestinal age is closely related to the age of the body, and intestinal health also closely affects the health of the skin. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that “the skin is the main body of the surface, which can prevent the invasion of external evil; The large intestine is the official of conduction, and the substance is passed on but not hidden.” Skin and intestinal tract are the two important organs of the human body, and they are also the two “administrators” who manage the internal and external health of the human body. They will interact with each other. In good cases, they will accompany each other, and in bad cases, they will lead to “skin and intestinal diseases”.

Therefore, protecting the inner wall of the intestinal tract from damage is as important as protecting the skin from external factors. After the intestinal mucosa is damaged, it will become “intestinal leakage” in severe cases, that is, the intestinal permeability increases, the tight connections between cells are loosened, and the gap is enlarged, resulting in many macromolecular toxins that cannot directly pass through the intestinal wall., Food can directly pass through, disrupt the immune system, and then produce inflammatory substances that damage the skin, and even cause more serious immune diseases.

Do you have a gut health test?

As early as 1930, Stokes and Pillsbury, dermatologists at the University of Pennsylvania, put forward the unified theory of gut-brain-skin. As the name implies, there is a close connection between intestinal microorganisms, brain and skin. To give a simple example, many people eat some small desserts when they are in a bad mood such as stress and depression. Food can stimulate the secretion of dopamine and provide a short-term sense of pleasure while decompressing. And too much sweets will form a “sugar reflex” in the intestines, affecting hormones and acne. It can be seen that there is a mutual influence between the above three.

The researchers also found that different emotional states can change gut function, microbial composition and skin condition. Positive emotions such as happiness and pleasure will promote gastrointestinal motility and digestion, and simultaneously improve skin luster and fineness. Depression, anxiety and other negative emotions will inhibit the normal operation of the intestines and gastric acid secretion, dry skin sallow, and even dull acne. Therefore, eating happily is not only to satisfy our appetite, but also to nourish our intestinal flora and skin condition.

The gut flora, the skin, and the brain are the same system in the sense that dermatologists Stokes and Pillsbury put forward, not independent. The behavior of external skin care is very important, but the internal conditioning should not be underestimated. In the future, when facing the skin condition, both can be taken into account, the diet, probiotic intake, mood and so on.

Human immunity also depends on the intestinal flora to a certain extent, and the skin, as the largest immune organ, has a direct reflection. The microorganisms and flora in the intestinal tract constitute the intestinal immune system, which itself is an important part of the human immune system. The intestinal immune system includes the lymphoid tissue, immune cells and mucosal barrier under the intestinal mucosa. These departments work together to act on multiple aspects of the immune system: immune tolerance, immune cell regulation, inflammatory response, etc. For example, intestinal flora can affect the activity and quantity of a variety of immune cells, inhibit the reproduction of bad flora, and secrete anti-inflammatory factors, thereby alleviating skin problems caused by poor immune system operation.

Zhang Xinyu has shared her experience of fighting dermatitis on social media, which also mentioned that there is a direct relationship between skin inflammation and the immune system. The solution of skin inflammation in addition to the external application of targeted skin care products, but also need to improve their own immunity.

Shu Qi also basked in her own experience of fighting skin allergies, which mentioned that “my skin care method is very simple. I insist on eating native foods such as apples and bananas every day, and a healthy diet helps intestinal detoxification and improve immunity.” It can be seen that both scientific research literature and skin troubled groups with similar experiences are constantly improving their understanding of intestinal health and skin.

Aging begins at…… Gut?

The total number of bacteria in an adult’s body is 10 times that of human cells, and even tens of millions of new bacteria are born every minute in the intestine. There are probiotics that regulate the intestines and promote the normal functioning of the body, as well as bad bacteria that cause inflammation in the body. Most probiotics belong to bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in lactic acid bacteria, as well as yeast and bacillus. It is very important to keep the balance of intestinal flora (and the balance of probiotics in the majority) to have a positive influence on the skin. Intestinal microorganisms send signals to the skin through gut-skin axis. When bad bacteria dominate, the intestinal tract will secrete specific phenolic substances, resulting in intestinal environment disorder. Phenolic substances will reach the skin through blood and affect the moisture retention and fineness of the skin itself, in severe cases, problems such as keratinization will also occur.

In general, we can produce enough probiotics through a healthy diet. But (there are always but), it is not easy for modern people to eat healthily, or probiotic products will not be so popular. In general, if you have an irregular diet, or belong to people with poor metabolic capacity such as young or old people, and have a budget, you can supplement probiotics. However, when choosing foods or supplements containing probiotics, pay attention to whether the words “sterilization type” or “inactivated treatment” are marked on the outer package. If there is any indication that the probiotics in the product are not alive, although the metabolites (polysaccharides, etc.) of dead bacteria also have certain benefits to the body, most studies have shown that the effect of the two is better than that of live bacteria. In addition, whether probiotics can pass the test of digestive juice of digestive tract and sufficient dose is also the standard to be measured. However, it is difficult for ordinary people to thoroughly master the complex doorways, so it is more secure to choose products of big brands.

The underlying logic of “skin and intestine disease” is emotion

There are also prebiotics, which are also popular intestinal health products. Prebiotics can be understood as the “food” of probiotics, which can help probiotics multiply and grow more smoothly in the intestinal tract. They are rich in natural food vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans. As long as these foods are eaten well, there will be no lack of prebiotics. However (but again), people who still cannot eat healthily but want to enjoy healthy food are also popular. Prebiotic health products continue to sell well, including oligosaccharides such as fructooligosaccharides and inulin. Some microalgae can also be used as prebiotics, such as spirulina. However, this type of product is not the more the better. Eating too much will also cause a burden on the intestines, so be sure to take it according to the recommended dose.

1 love to eat cakes, snacks and other sweets
Uncontrolled eating sweets and excessive sugar intake will cause intestinal overreaction to inhibit gastric acid secretion and intestinal barrier dysfunction to reduce intestinal peristalsis. The body increases the amount of secretion of insulin growth factor, sebaceous gland increases the amount of secretion of oil, aggravating seborrheic dermatitis and acne.

2 Irregular bowel habits
Feces contain a variety of toxins such as hydrogen sulfide and Escherichia coli. If they are not discharged at a normal frequency, the toxins will be absorbed into the large intestine again, which will not only destroy the intestinal microenvironment, but also act on the skin, causing acne and other troubles.

3 intake too much heavy oil heavy spicy heavy salt food
Eating heavy-flavored foods for a long time will aggravate the work of digestion and metabolism in the intestines and stomach. We will be exhausted and muddle along after overworking for 8 hours, and so will the intestines and stomach. And too spicy food will stimulate the gastrointestinal mucosa, can not play the role of filtering harmful substances, toxins is not to be excreted through the skin.

4 Excessive use of antibiotics
Although antibiotics are our weapons against harmful bacteria, they do not have the ability to distinguish between good and bad bacteria. They are a veritable “double-edged sword”. Excessive intake of antibiotics will destroy the normal balance of the intestinal microenvironment and affect their own immunity.

5 get up the first “water” is coffee
Many people nowadays drink coffee before getting up, which is very bad for their intestines. Because after a whole night of sleep, the body itself will sweat and lose some water, and black coffee itself is diuretic and detumescence. Double blessing not only accelerates water loss, but also stimulates intestinal nerves. It is safer to drink a cup of warm boiled water first and then take advantage of breakfast time to get coffee again.

6 eat midnight snack when staying up late
It is inappropriate to stay up late and eat midnight snacks alone, and the juxtaposition of the two needs to be avoided. Staying up late will cause mental and emotional ups and downs, and can’t smoothly enter a state of sleep. Eating midnight snacks is even more to mobilize the intestines and stomach to “work overtime in disguise” at an inappropriate time, not to mention that the content of oil, salt and sugar in many midnight snacks is not low, and the mood and gastrointestinal flora can’t rest to heal themselves. The next day, dark circles and acne are naturally out of the question.

7 Lack of exercise
If you eat much without exercise, you can’t metabolize food by your own digestive system. Exercise can not only promote gastrointestinal peristalsis, but also accelerate the metabolism of excess fat. Only by consuming these excess calories can the skin better present its best condition.

When your gut flora gets messed up, your skin gets messed up

If you often exercise, you must have heard the saying “You are what you eat”. What you eat determines your color value and state. This is not to say that the more vegetarian you eat, the better, but to find a balance between many foods and the human body and skin. Although heavy-flavored foods are not recommended, it does not mean that they cannot be eaten at all. Eating in moderation is sometimes better than not eating at all. Just like, fitness people will take one day to eat “deceptive meals” during the low-calorie, low-sugar and low-fat diet cycle. After the body has long ingested “low-desire” foods, it will enter a new balance and will not lose weight. However, with the addition of deceptive meals, it will “deceive” the body’s cognition. After breaking this balance, returning to low-desire diet will instead promote the weighing.

The same is true for the microenvironment in the intestinal tract. The intestinal flora is constantly seeking balance. It is not a good thing to eat clean for a long time, and there are too many beneficial bacteria and lack of confrontation with bad bacteria. Just as immunity fights inflammation, proper inflammation will instead promote the immune system to fight, so that it can rise up and protect the body in the face of major changes. We only need to adjust most of our diet to a “clean” state and consume foods that are defined as unhealthy in a very small frequency.

You can make your own arrangements according to your acceptable intake frequency (as long as you follow the 7:3 diet ratio).

Do you want probiotics?

**Coarse grains**: Dietary fiber in coarse foods such as sweet potatoes, taro, and corn can control blood sugar, while enhancing intestinal peristalsis and accelerating digestion.

**Dietary fiber**: Dietary fiber is divided into water-soluble and non-water-soluble. Water-soluble dietary fiber (such as inulin, kelp, oat, konjac, apple) can increase satiety through the addition of water, help feces form and promote the growth of intestinal probiotics. Non-water-soluble dietary fiber (such as beans, bamboo shoots, hard stem vegetables, sweet potato leaves) can make gastrointestinal peristalsis, soften feces, promote defecation, and improve constipation.

* * fermented food * *: yogurt, kimchi as the representative of the fermented food contains active probiotics, can regulate the intestinal flora balance, help digestion.

**Healthy Fat**: Olive oil, cod, and flaxseed contain healthy fats that meet the needs of the human body. Proper intake can help improve the intestinal resistance to inflammation.

**Natural antioxidant foods**: Tea, berries, lemons, coffee and other ingredients with antioxidant effects can also coexist with beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract, and can help the intestinal microenvironment to be lower than free radicals.

Finally, I hope everyone who is deeply troubled by skin problems can relax and not worry too much. Because the diet structure, intestinal health, and psychological state are the troika that make up the skin’s good texture. They are indispensable. Even if the diet is clean but the mood is not good, it will have a potential threat to the skin. Eat well, sleep well, and live well. Even if the pressure of life and work is great, don’t blindly relieve it by overeating. It can be done once or twice, but it cannot be a long-term solution, and then you can try to use exercise and social interaction. Assist in relief. Of course, the impact of intestinal problems on the skin is only a part. If your skin problems are serious, you should go to the hospital and seek professional solutions.

(Source: VOGUE)