What is the Skin-Stomach Connection?

Pharmacy aisles are brimming with products that claim to cure all kind of skin ailments. However, studies show that the key to good skin isn’t a quick-fix serum or cream but maintaining a healthy gut. The enteric nervous system affects everything, from the release of enzymes to your mood and nutrient breakdown. Here are some of the ways you nurture the skin-stomach relationship:

Hydrate: The standard recommendation of eight glasses of water a day does a lot more than just aid digestion, it also improves the appearance of your skin. According to Rachel Nazarian, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital, “Without adequate water intake, skin appears duller, and wrinkles and pores more prominent.” Water helps keep skin supple, thus deterring wrinkles and expanding pores.

Exercise. Italian researchers recently figured out that exercise promotes beneficial microbial species and enhances microflora diversity. People who frequently exercise can slow down the skin’s aging process. A study from McMaster University in Ontario found that males and females over the age of 40 who regularly exercised had thinner and healthier outer skin layers and thicker dermis layers than those who rarely exercised.

Probiotics. It’s easy to identify the foods that are bad for our skin but knowing what is beneficial for our skin health is a different challenge. Probiotics like cultured vegetables, fermented beverages, yogurt, and apple cider vinegar keep the digestive system in check and your gut healthy.