In 2004, consumers spent $44.6 billion on anti-aging products and services, with that amount expected to nearly double by 2009. Skin care products dominate the anti-aging retail market, controlling 52% of retail sales. The force behind this anti-aging boom is the routine of applying and reapplying topical agents. However, these topical remedies for sagging skin are not permanent as the skin regenerates itself every 28 days, requiring continued use of topical agents to maintain their effectiveness.
A more natural way to support skin health, without the dermabrasion and chemical peels of topical agents, is with Cytokinins. Cytokinins are plant hormones that promote cellular growth and delay the aging process. Cytokinins stimulate cell division, delay the aging and destruction of tissues, protect against cell oxidation, and postpone cell death. Studies are now showing that the potent, protective, anti-aging effects of Cytokinins work the same way in human skin. When the diet includes these plant nutrients, the body as a whole can fight aging, starting at the cellular level. The most potent Cytokinin is Zeatin.
A study conducted the University of Aarhus, Denmark, in 2004 evaluated the effects of Zeatin on cultured human skin fibroblasts over their life span in lab culture. The results showed that not only does Zeatin not interfere to with the genetic control of cellular life span of a cell, but that it also helps promote small cell size, a key component to more youthful skin. Zeatin also helps with the structural and functional integrity of the cell, and prevents accumulation of macromolecular damage in the cell. The study also found that Zeatin increases the activity of some antioxidant enzymes counteracting the free radical-induced oxidative damage incurred during cell aging.
Dr. Monica Marcu, Pharm. PhD, concurs, "Cytokinins have proven to delay biochemical modifications associated with aging in culture human cells. Zeatin protects the skin. When human skin cells are nourished with Zeatin, they retain their functions longer and are more resistant to environmental stresses."
Found in most plants, Zeatin is more abundant in one plant than any other, Moringa Oleifera. Moringa Oleifera not only contains thousands of times more Zeatin than any other known plant, it is also the most nutritious plant discovered to date with over 90 nutritional compounds, including 46 antioxidants and 36 anti-inflammatories.
Dr. Lydia Marero, of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), also believes Moringa could be the new anti-aging alternative. Dr. Marero says, “Because of its high content of vitamins A, C, and E, which are very potent antioxidants, Moringa is a very good quencher of unstable free radicals that can react with the damage of molecules that cause aging".
Aging of the skin is not the only result of skin damage. Skin cancer rates and deaths are increasing dramatically around the world. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer during their lifetime, and one American dies from it every hour.
This may be in part due to ozone depletion which seems to be leaving us more vulnerable to damage from ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This radiation causes formation of highly reactive “free radicals” within our bodies, damaging our cells in ways that increase the chance for cancer to develop. The best defense against the free radical damage of oxidation is a diet rich in antioxidant vitamins and minerals (and plenty of water!). Research suggests that certain antioxidants—vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and vitamin A (in the form of beta carotene rich foods)—nourish and protect skin to extend its youthful appearance. According to Karen Collins, RD, along with sun protection, a healthy diet may help. She further stated, "In theory, antioxidants like beta-carotene and other carotenoids might stabilize free radicals and end the damaging chain reactions they start."
Underneath aging and age-related disease is low-grade inflammation, according to dermatologist Nicholas V. Perricone, MD. He continues, "The skin is always getting inflamed by sun, weather, pollution, and products because it is our interface between the environment and our body. So the best ways to decrease disease risk and slow the aging process is to take nutrients with powerful anti-inflammatory activity on a regular basis. Through a three-tier approach involving diet, supplements, and creams, we can control the rate at which we age".
While the skin is the largest system of the body and requires proper nourishment to delay the visible signs of aging, aging isn't just skin deep. Every system, that is every cell of the body, ages every minute of every day. There is no magic fountain of youth. However, by providing proper nourishment, along with antioxidants with anti-aging compounds at the cellular level, anti-aging of all systems of the body can be slowed; minimizing the visible signs of aging skin and lowering the risk of degenerative (age related) diseases.
