What do salmon, link seeds and cinnamon have in common? These are foods known for their anti-inflammatory properties. And according to TikTok’s wellness community, they are essential for clear, glowing skin. However, dietitians have doubts about their real effectiveness against skin problems.
Lately, it’s not uncommon to come across TikTok videos extolling the virtues of anti-inflammatory foods, including the promise of healthy skin. Currently, the hashtag #antiinflammatoryfood has generated more than 50 million views on the Chinese social network.
The anti-inflammatory diet is composed of healthy fats (olive oil, nuts, avocado), foods rich in Omega 3 (salmon, tuna, mackerel, flaxseed oil, chia and hemp seeds), fruits and vegetables, rich in fiber and antioxidants, particularly red fruits and cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, etc.), oilseeds, legumes, whole grains and certain spices such as turmeric.
This diet is known to limit the risk of cardiovascular diseases. It protects against chronic inflammations such as diabetes, asthma or osteoarthritis.
For the TikTok wellness community, this food is also a source of benefits for clear skin. In this video, TikToker nastblog recommends three foods to cure acne including flaxseed oil, rich in omega 3, green tea, rich in polyphenols, and cinnamon, an anti-inflammatory spice. But is anti-inflammatory diet alone really effective for clear skin?
@nastblog Replying to @Louis #alimentationsaine #alimentationantiinflammatoire #acné #acnéhormonal #glowup #acneinflammatoire #inflammation #keto #regimealimentaire #alimentationintuitive #matcha #thevert #grainesdelin #cinamon #canelle #arretpilule #desequilibrehormonal ♬ Beat – beaty
Opinions to be taken with a grain of salt
For Florence Foucaut, dietitian and nutrition expert in Paris, these foods can indeed be a boost to help have healthy skin, but not completely. In reaction to the nastblog video, the dietitian nevertheless warns that we must take the opinions presented on social networks with caution and only trust real scientific data, the only guarantee of seriousness.
“Yes, indeed, flax seeds are rich in omega 3. The problem is that this influencer invites Internet users to consume them entirely, by sprinkling them in a salad for example. However, to have these benefits, you must consume them ground, and above all keep the ground flax seeds away from light so that they do not oxidize.“. She also advises getting mixtures of nuts, also ground for better absorption of omega 3.
Green tea or matcha tea are also part of these supposedly anti-acne ingredients, advocated by influencers. “Green tea contains catechins (EGGC), molecules known to have inflammatory and antioxidant properties. And cinnamon too“, adds Florence Foucaut. But according to her, “to be able to benefit from these anti-inflammatory virtues in question, one would have to absorb astronomical quantities of green tea and cinnamon every day, which is not possible at all daily”.
NO to diets, YES to WW!
Misleading videos
However, many before/after transformation videos on social media seem to claim that incorporating these foods into your daily life is enough to improve the condition of the skin. For people with skin problems, the dietician recommends a balanced and diversified diet. “Indeed, diet contributes to good skin condition, particularly when it suffers from acne and even more so if it is too rich in lipids.“.
The dietician reminds that other elements come into play to improve the appearance of the skin. “Other factors can play an essential role in having good skin, such as avoiding exposure to the sun, or taking certain prescription medications. Alcohol and tobacco consumption are also other determining factors. Diet can help alleviate pathology, but it cannot be the only key element to having healthy skin..
To cure skin problems, before turning directly to an anti-inflammatory diet, she advises consulting a specialist. “You must first consult a dermatologist, in order to diagnose the origin of the skin problem, then he will prescribe treatment if necessary and he will tell you if a change in diet is necessary.“.
Slide: The foods richest in Omega 3
