Chennai: Daily consumption of almonds may help reduce the severity of facial wrinkles and skin pigmentation in post-menopausal women with a skin condition, says a latest study.
Published in the journal Nutrients, the research confirms and expands on a 2019 study which found that a daily snack of almonds in place of other nut-free snacks improved measures of wrinkle width and severity in postmenopausal women.
The new study involved 49 healthy postmenopausal women with Fitzpatrick skin type 1 or 2, which is characterised by increased tendency to burn with sun exposure.
Researchers at the University of California (UC), Davis in the US randomly assigned participants to one of two groups.
In the intervention group, women ate almonds as a snack, which accounted for 20 per cent of their total daily calorie intake, or 340 calories per day on average (about 60 grams).
The control group consumed a calorie-matched snack that also accounted for 20 per cent of calories: a fig bar, granola bar or pretzels.
In addition to the snacks, study participants consumed 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 eight weeks, 16 weeks and 24 weeks.
At each of these visits, facial wrinkles and facial pigment intensity were assessed using high-resolution facial imaging and validated three dimensional (3D) facial modelling and measurement.
Skin hydration, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and excretion of sebum — an oily, waxy substance produced by the body’s sebaceous glands — were also assessed.
The researchers saw a statistically significant reduction in wrinkle severity in the group consuming almonds, finding that at 16 weeks, there was a reduction of 15 per cent and at 24 weeks, a reduction of 16 per cent.