Your skin is an important organ in your body. Skin disorders, such as inflammation, rashes, eczema, hives, or dry and cracked skin, can occur if you lack certain nutrients. These can be painful or uncomfortable and contribute to poor health. Maintaining a healthy diet, rich in specific vitamins, can help you fight these conditions and both build and maintain healthy skin.
Vitamin B3
Vitamin B3, or niacin, plays an important in metabolism, which is the breakdown of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in your body to produce energy. This vitamin is also essential for healthy skin, eyes, hair and liver. If you become deficient in this vitamin, you may experience pellagra, which is a condition marked by cracked and scaly skin, diarrhea, and dementia. Healthy dietary sources of this vitamin include beets, brewer's yeast, fish, salmon, beef liver, beef kidney, and sunflower seeds. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the recommended daily intake for this vitamin is 16mg in adult males and 14mg in adult females.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is another important vitamin for your skin. This vitamin is used to treat skin problems such as eczema, cold sores, acne, wounds, burns, sunburn, and psoriasis. MedlinePlus says that the recommended daily intake for this vitamin is 900 mcg/day in adult males and 700 mcg/day in adult females. You can find vitamin A in foods such as carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin, liver, eggs, and whole milk.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is good for your skin because of its role in collagen production. Collagen is a protein that your body requires to make healthy skin, cartilage, tendons, blood vessels, and ligaments. If you are deficient in this vitamin, you can develop a slower rate of wound healing and dry, scaly skin. You can boost your intake of this vitamin by eating foods such as oranges, limes, strawberries, broccoli, and bell peppers. The recommended daily intake for this vitamin is 90mg in adult males and 75mg for adult females.
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6, or pyridoxine, is also important for healthy skin. According to the National Institutes of Health, a deficiency of vitamin B6 can lead to dermatitis, which is characterized by inflammation of the skin. The recommended daily intake for this vitamin is 1.3mg in both adult males and females ages 19 to 50. Healthy food sources for B6 include beans, meat, fish, poultry, and fortified cereals.
