The old cliché, "you are what you eat," is true. People with healthy diet have fewer wrinkles. Research reveals that people with a healthy diet have fewer wrinkles and healthier looking skin. On the other hand, a poor diet, lack of exercise, inadequate sleep and poor skin care can add years to your appearance.

Researchers at Monash University in Melbourne studied 177 Greek-born subjects living in Melbourne (GRM), 69 Greek subjects living in rural Greece (GRG), 48 Anglo-Celtic Australian (ACA) elderly living in Melbourne and 159 Swedish subjects living in Sweden (SWE) participating in the International Union of Nutritional Sciences IUNS "Food Habits in Later Life" study had their dietary intakes measured and their skin assessed, including both light-skinned and dark skinned people. The subjects' diets were evaluated for nutrient content, and their skin was assessed for wrinkling. The analysis, reported in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, showed that people who ate a diet high in vegetables, olive oil, fish and legumes and low in butter, dairy and sugar products had significantly less skin wrinkling - regardless of your age.

Food and nutrient intakes were assessed using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Skin wrinkling was measured using a cutaneous microtopographic method. SWE elderly had the least skin wrinkling in a sun-exposed site, followed by GRM, GRG and ACA.