讓人越吃越年輕的食物大綱

'Are there any miracle foods I can eat that will turn back the clock for my skin?'

'有沒有那種讓人一吃就返老還童的神奇食物？'

Sadly, there's nothing you can do to reverse the ageing process, but you can give your skin a helping hand by eating plenty of nutrient-rich foods. A big cause of skin ageing is a loss of collagen, one of the skin's main structural proteins.

不幸的是，衰老過程是不可逆的，但攝入大量營養豐富的食物可以延緩肌膚衰老。肌膚衰老的一大原因是膠原蛋白（皮膚的主要結構蛋白之一）的流失。

'It's thought to decline by 1% per year from your mid-twenties onwards,' says Sophie. 'Vitamin C is essential for collagen production, so increase the amount of colourful fruits and vegetables you eat.' Get chomping on red peppers, berries, citrus fruit, leafy green veg, herbs, cruciferous veg and potatoes with their skin left on.

"25歲以後，我們每年都會流失1%的膠原蛋白，"索菲（Sophie）說道。"維生素C對於膠原蛋白的產生至關重要，所以各色水果和蔬菜請多吃些吧。"紅椒、漿果、柑橘類水果、綠葉蔬菜、草本植物、十字花科蔬菜和未削皮的土豆，開動吧！

The worst thing you can eat is, surprise surprise, sugar.

肌膚老化的'罪魁禍首'竟然是糖，意想不到吧。

'Sugar has been shown to contribute to premature skin ageing,' says Sophie. 'It exacerbates natural processes that occur from our mid-thirties, damaging collagen and elastin and leading to reduced skin elasticity, twrinkles and sagging.'

"糖已被證明會導致皮膚過早老化，"索菲說道。"35歲以後，糖會加速機體的自然老化過程，破壞膠原蛋白和彈性蛋白，導致皮膚沒有彈性、鬆弛和長皺紋。"

'My skin is dry and flaky. Should I be drinking more water, or is there anything I can eat to improve it?'

"我的皮膚不僅幹，而且還易脫落。我是不是該多喝水？請問有沒有什麼食療方法？"

'Keeping yourself well-hydrated is key for skin health, but unfortunately drinking more water does not equate to better-hydrated skin,' says Sophie. 'Nevertheless, in the short term, dehydration can leave skin looking pale and sallow, while chronic dehydration can lead to a disruption in skin barrier function and decreased elasticity.'

"保持水分充足是肌膚健康的關鍵，但不幸的是，喝更多的水並不等於肌膚更水潤，"索菲說道。"但不管怎麼說，短期看來，脫水會使皮膚看起來蒼白、暗黃，而長時間的脫水會導致皮膚屏障功能受損，缺少彈性。"

Aim to drink enough water or herbal tea to keep your urine a pale colour. 'Drinking green tea could help too, as it contains catechins which have been found to improve skin hydration,' says Sophie.

儘量多喝水或花草茶，若尿液呈淺色，目標就達成了。"也可以喝綠茶，因爲綠茶含有提高皮膚水分的兒茶素，"索菲說道。

In terms of food, seeds and nuts could give your skin a real boost. 'These contain antioxidant vitamin E and linoleic acid, a type of fat that can help with skin hydration,' she adds.

種子和堅果等食物也能促使皮膚變得更光滑。"這些食物含有抗氧化的維生素E和亞油酸，這是一種給皮膚保溼的脂肪，"她補充道。

'I've seen expensive collagen supplements in the shops. Do they work?' 'There is little evidence that collagen will survive digestion and then travel in the bloodstream to the skin,' say Sophie. 'It's broken down in the gut to smaller molecules such as peptides and amino-acids.'

"各類門店都在出售價格昂貴的膠原補充蛋白劑，它們真的能起到作用嗎？""鮮有證據表明膠原蛋白能在消化過程中存活並通過血液補到皮膚上，"索菲說道。"膠原蛋白會在腸道中被分解成更小的分子，比如肽和氨基酸。"