Food containing hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid is not only important for firm skin but above all for healthy joint function. With the right diet, it is possible to positively influence the body’s own reserves of hyaluronic acid.
Hyaluronic acid plays a very important role in our body and is essential for the stability and maintenance of a healthy metabolism. Through its ability to bind water, it provides moisture to the skin and organs, contributing to plastic stability. As a lubricant in the joints, it is indispensable for smooth movement and as a precursor for migrating cells of the immune system, it plays a major role in maintaining health.
With the right choice of foods, it can be ensured that the body always has the greatest possible amount of natural hyaluronic acid available.
Basically, two types of food can be distinguished. Those that directly contain hyaluronic acid or those that contain nutrients that support the body’s own production of hyaluronic acid. Both can thus replenish hyaluronic acid reserves in different ways.
Can hyaluronic acid be absorbed in all with food?
Some foods contain hyaluronic acid directly. However, the long-chain molecule is not very stable, which is why many researchers doubt that it can be absorbed in sufficient quantities from food. For this reason, special capsules have been designed for dietary supplementation that transport the hyaluronic acid they contain through the acidic stomach and release it only in the intestine, where it can be absorbed relatively without loss.
However, some studies indicate that hyaluronic acid can very well be absorbed through food. Austrian physicians established more than 20 years ago that the hyaluronic acid level in the blood plasma of test subjects rises sharply about 60 minutes after food intake. In 2014, Japanese scientists studied hyaluronic acid uptake in rats in somewhat greater detail. They labeled the hyaluronic acid in the feed with a radioactive isotope, whose whereabouts in the animals’ bodies they were able to track very precisely. This showed that up to 90% of the hyaluronic acid fed is absorbed into the blood in the intestine. From there it is rapidly distributed in the tissues so that it could be detected in the skin for about a week. It was then degraded and its components excreted via the urine or respiratory air.
On this basis, it can be assumed that a large proportion of hyaluronic acid ingested with food is absorbed by the body and incorporated where it is needed. Like the body’s own hyaluronic acid, it is subject to constant degradation. In order to sustainably fill the reserves, it is, therefore, necessary to regularly consume foods containing hyaluronan.
Foods with hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid is found not only in animal foods but also in plant foods. It is found in comparatively larger amounts in the following foods:
Sweet potatoes and potatoes Potatoes contain large amounts of hyaluronic acid and are suitable as a garnish for very many dishes. The amount is particularly large in sweet potatoes.
- Bananas
Bananas contain not only their own hyaluronic acid but also vitamin C and magnesium, which are needed for the body’s own hyaluronic acid production.
- Green Leafy
Vegetables Leafy vegetables, such as various cabbages and lettuces contain not only hyaluronic acid but also magnesium, which is necessary for hyaluronic acid production. You can also ensure adequate hyaluronic acid intake with a green smoothie or fresh salad.
- Bones and skin
Mainly hyaluronic acid is found in animal products, especially cartilage and joints. Although bone broth is rarely used in modern cooking, it is still recommended to make chicken soup or beef broth with fresh bones, cartilage, and skin. They all contain a lot of natural hyaluronic. Preparing meat with bones in other meat dishes can also be beneficial to health. This often improves the flavor and consistency of the gravy as well.
- Offal
Some offal, such as heart and liver, used to be delicacies. Today, they are rarely offered. All types of offal, especially the chicken liver, contain a comparatively large amount of hyaluronic in addition to many other important nutrients.
Foods that boost hyaluronic acid production
Our body forms most of its hyaluronic acid itself, for which it needs a number of specific nutrients, such as vitamin C, zinc, magnesium, or phytoestrogens. Therefore, with the right diet, we can help our organism to form hyaluronic acid itself by eating foods rich in these substances.
Dark leafy vegetables, root vegetables, almonds, and cashew kernels, as well as foods containing soy, contain a lot of magnesium. Dark chocolate and beans contain magnesium as well as zinc. Red wine, sweet potatoes, and pomegranate provide phytoestrogens. People who eat a diverse and natural diet are not only doing their palate good but providing their bodies with valuable nutrients that the body can use to produce hyaluronic acid on its own.
Below is a selection of foods that support hyaluronic acid production:
- Vitamin C-containing foods
Rosehips, sea buckthorn berries, bell peppers, bee honey, kohlrabi, kale, Brussels sprouts, citrus fruits, berry fruits, spinach.
- Zinc-containing foods
Pumpkin seeds, peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, lentils, oatmeal, buckwheat.
- Magnesium-containing foods
Whole grains and whole-grain products, bran, oatmeal, brown rice, green vegetable’s sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, nuts, beans.
- Phytoestrogen-containing foods
Red wine, sweet potato, flaxseed, pomegranate, hops, monk’s pepper, soy, black cohosh, St. John’s wort, red clover, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried fruits, legumes, maca.
