Eating almonds daily may just be the solution you were seeking to keep wrinkles at bay

Daily consumption of almonds may help reduce the severity of facial wrinkles in post-menopausal women, claims a first-of-itskind study to examine the nuts’ effects on skin health.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, in the US, found that a daily snack of almonds in place of other nut-free snacks improved measures of wrinkle width and severity in postmenopausal women.

In the 16-week randomised controlled trial, published in the journal Phytotherapy Research, 28 healthy postmenopausal women with Fitzpatrick skin type 1 or 2 — characterised by increased tendency to burn with sun exposure — were randomly assigned to one of two groups.

In the intervention group, women ate almonds as a snack, which accounted for 20% of their total daily calorie intake,or 340 calories per day on average (60 grams).

The control group ate a nutfree snack that also accounted for 20% of calories: a cereal bar, granola bar or pretzels. Aside from these snacks, study participants ate their regular diets and did not eat any nuts or nut-containing products.

Skin assessments were made at the start of the study, and again at four weeks, eight weeks, 12 weeks and 16 weeks. At each visit, facial wrinkles were assessed using highresolution facial imaging and validated three-dimensional (3D) facial modelling and measurement. “These cameras allow for 3D reconstruction of any wrinkles so that they can be mapped for their key characteristics of width and severity,” said Raja Sivamani, associate professor of clinical dermatology at the university and lead researcher on the study. By the end of the study at 16 weeks, photographic image analysis showed statistically significant improvements for participants in the almond snack group compared to the control group, the researchers said. They found wrinkle width decreased by 10% while the wrinkle severity reduced by 9%.

“As seen in this study, almonds may hold promise as a food to include as part of a healthy ageing diet, especially for post-menopausal women,” Sivamani said. PTI

PHOTO: ISTOCK A study found post-menopausal women whose diet included almonds had less severe wrinkles