Are there any miracle foods I can eat that will turn back the clock for my skin?'

'有没有那种让人一吃就返老还童的神奇食物？'

Sadly, there's nothing you can do to reverse the ageing process, but you can give your skin a helping¹ hand by eating plenty of nutrient-rich foods. A big cause of skin ageing is a loss of collagen, one of the skin's main structural² proteins.

不幸的是，衰老过程是不可逆的，但摄入大量营养丰富的食物可以延缓肌肤衰老。肌肤衰老的一大原因是胶原蛋白（皮肤的主要结构蛋白之一）的流失。

'It's thought to decline by 1% per year from your mid-twenties onwards,' says Sophie. 'Vitamin C is essential for collagen production, so increase the amount of colourful fruits and vegetables you eat.' Get chomping³ on red peppers, berries, citrus fruit, leafy green veg, herbs, cruciferous veg and potatoes with their skin left on.

"25岁以后，我们每年都会流失1%的胶原蛋白，"索菲（Sophie）说道。"维生素C对于胶原蛋白的产生至关重要，所以各色水果和蔬菜请多吃些吧。"红椒、浆果、柑橘类水果、绿叶蔬菜、草本植物、十字花科蔬菜和未削皮的土豆，开动吧！

The worst thing you can eat is, surprise surprise, sugar.

肌肤老化的'罪魁祸首'竟然是糖，意想不到吧。

'Sugar has been shown to contribute to premature⁴ skin ageing,' says Sophie. 'It exacerbates⁵ natural processes that occur from our mid-thirties, damaging collagen and elastin and leading to reduced skin elasticity⁶, twrinkles and sagging⁷.'

"糖已被证明会导致皮肤过早老化，"索菲说道。"35岁以后，糖会加速机体的自然老化过程，破坏胶原蛋白和弹性蛋白，导致皮肤没有弹性、松弛和长皱纹。"'My skin is dry and flaky. Should I be drinking more water, or is there anything I can eat to improve it?'

"我的皮肤不仅干，而且还易脱落。我是不是该多喝水？请问有没有什么食疗方法？"'Keeping yourself well-hydrated is key for skin health, but unfortunately drinking more water does not equate⁸ to better-hydrated skin,' says Sophie. 'Nevertheless, in the short term, dehydration⁹ can leave skin looking pale and sallow, while chronic¹⁰ dehydration can lead to a disruption in skin barrier function and decreased elasticity.'

"保持水分充足是肌肤健康的关键，但不幸的是，喝更多的水并不等于肌肤更水润，"索菲说道。"但不管怎么说，短期看来，脱水会使皮肤看起来苍白、暗黄，而长时间的脱水会导致皮肤屏障功能受损，缺少弹性。"Aim to drink enough water or herbal tea to keep your urine a pale colour. 'Drinking green tea could help too, as it contains catechins which have been found to improve skin hydration,' says Sophie.

尽量多喝水或花草茶，若尿液呈浅色，目标就达成了。"也可以喝绿茶，因为绿茶含有提高皮肤水分的儿茶素，"索菲说道。

In terms of food, seeds and nuts could give your skin a real boost. 'These contain antioxidant vitamin E and linoleic acid, a type of fat that can help with skin hydration,' she adds.

种子和坚果等食物也能促使皮肤变得更光滑。"这些食物含有抗氧化的维生素E和亚油酸，这是一种给皮肤保湿的脂肪，"她补充道。

'I've seen expensive collagen supplements in the shops. Do they work?' 'There is little evidence that collagen will survive digestion¹¹ and then travel in the bloodstream to the skin,' say Sophie. 'It's broken down in the gut¹² to smaller molecules¹³ such as peptides and amino-acids.'

"各类门店都在出售价格昂贵的胶原补充蛋白剂，它们真的能起到作用吗？""鲜有证据表明胶原蛋白能在消化过程中存活并通过血液补到皮肤上，"索菲说道。"胶原蛋白会在肠道中被分解成更小的分子，比如肽和氨基酸。"