INFO HIDUP SEHAT

Vitamin C and the linoleic acid in foods like oils and nuts may protect skin from aging, while carbohydrates and fats other than linoleic acid may make skin worse.

Scientists asked 4,000 women aged 40 to 74 to recall their diets from the previous 24 hours and to allow a dermatologist to examine their skin, as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey:

* Women who consumed more vitamin-C-rich foods were 11 percent less likely to have a wrinkled appearance and 7 percent less likely to have dry skin associated with aging.

* Women who consumed more linoleic acid (an omega-6 polyunsaturated fat found in oils, especially soybean) were about 25 percent less likely to have skin atrophy and dryness.