The Gut–Skin Axis | Beauty From The Inside Out
We at Humānery are building an ecosystem that will provide the modern man with an inclusive & accessible experience in self-care & grooming. The many modern, exclusive & luxurious apothecaries across the world inspire us to provide men with confidence and empowered them to look and feel their best while they engage in their own personal care.
Our friends at Indi Supplements believe in beauty from the inside out – their supplements contain a diverse range of nutrients from real food sources - delivered in effective doses and in a form the body can recognise, absorb and use. The blends are designed to enhance your everyday diet with the best foods known to science, many of which you wouldn’t typically find on your plate. These positively impact energy, mood, fitness, sleep gut health which further impacts the human skin.
Here's a Q&A session on The Gut-Skin Axis by Dr Federica Amati – Chief Nutrition Scientist for Indi Supplements.
How Does Our Gut Affect Our Skin?
Our gut and skin have a direct link, the gut-skin axis. When our gut is in a predominately pro-inflammatory state, it impacts our skin health so really the gut-skin axis refers to the relationship between our gut microbiome and skin health. Our guts release hormones and messenger molecules which impact all of our organs, including the skin. When there is an imbalance in our gut microbes, inflammation increases leading to skin symptoms such as acne, eczema flare-ups, itchiness and breakouts.
What Foods Are Best For Our Skin?
Foods that help reduce inflammation levels will help our skin. This includes fresh whole vegetables, colourful plants and plenty of fibre. Aim to consume more plants every day and try to include as many polyphenol-rich colourful plants as possible. Increasing polyphenol intake is associated with improved skin health - a supplement such as Indi Body can help achieve a higher diversity alongside a plant-rich diet.
What Food Is The Enemy?
No food is an enemy – there has to be a balance. Fill up on plants and probiotic-rich foods like sauerkraut and kefir before tucking into sugary and ultra-processed foods like white bread or biscuits. There is some evidence that drinking lots of cow’s milk can also make acne worse, so reducing your milk consumption and opting for organic and preferably grass-fed milk can help.
What Are Your Top Tips For Better Skin?
Increase your body’s natural ability to combat inflammation and damage. This can be done by consuming lots of colourful, fibre-rich plants and enhancing your diet with Indi Body. This also provides your body with a skin-friendly probiotic, lactobacillus. Make sure you are also getting enough sleep. Sleep is crucial for overall health and skin repair – use Indi’s Rest to help you fall into a restful night's sleep. Drink water, keep your skin protected from the sun and remember to be kind to your skin – avoid over-using lots of abrasive products.
Dr Federica Amati is a powerhouse of evidence-based knowledge and information. She holds a PhD in Clinical Medicine Research from Imperial College London and is a Registered Nutritionist with the Association for Nutrition. She is also actively involved in nutrition, physical activity and mental wellbeing research at Imperial College London, cardiometabolic health, COVID-19 and nutrition research with NNedPro, a global think tank founded at Cambridge University. Alongside her research and private client consultations, she is also Chief Nutrition Scientist for Indi Supplements.