The Look Younger Diet

　　Is the Fountain of Youth a myth? Not entirely, many experts in nutrition now believe, "Age fast, or age slow—it's up to you. " declares Dr. Kenneth Cooper, president and founder of the Aerobics Center in Dallas. Jeffrey Blumberg, associate director of the U. S. Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, agrees, " Research shows that many so-called age-related declines in physiological function seem to have less to do with aging than with environmental factors like diet and exercise. "

　　Obesity (过度肥胖) is one of the leading causes of accelerated aging, according to Cooper, "If you lose weight, stop smoking, and exercise," he says, "you can slow the aging process—and make dramatic changes in your looks in a relatively short period of time. "

　　A 37-year-old sales director for a Boston computer-distribution company is a prime example. Over six feet tall, he had been considerably overweight most of his like. Then he began to worry that his appearance could be hurting his career. "I got tired of people thinking I was the same age as my brother, who's nearly nine years older," he says, "When you're fat, people in the business world assume you're out of control. "

　　Determined to change, the sales director entered a hospital-based diet program and dropped over 70 pounds. "I feel—and look—ten years younger. " he says.

　　At 82, Clarice R. Mc Williams, a retired business owner in Dallas, has the appearance, skin tone (肤色) and mental agility of someone many years younger. "Most people think I'm in my 60s. " she boasts.

　　Mc Williams admits genes play some role in the way she looks, but believes diet is an important factor. "It doesn't matter how good the genes are if you don't eat properly and take care of yourself," she says. "If you want to look good, get plenty of rest, exercise every day, eat mostly raw fruits and vegetables—and quit worrying. "

　　Says Blumberg, "There's certainly a link between good nutrition, a positive attitude and improved quality of life. People can have a say in what's going on with their bodies by selecting a healthful diet. "

　　Skin. Nowhere do the signs of aging manifest themselves more clearly than in the condition of the skin. When your weight fluctuates, the skin stretches with each up cycle, but it may not completely shrink back to its original size in the down cycle. As a result, the skin may sag(松弛下垂).

　　A severely deficient diet can lead to skin disorders, dramatically affecting one's appearance. By the same token, a well-balanced diet with ample supplies of nutrients is thought by many experts to produce a glowing, younger look.

　　Zinc and vitamin A are important for normal, healthy skin. Zinc helps the skin repair itself, and vitamin A aids in keeping skin supple, preventing dryness and helping shed dead cells. Good sources of zinc are beef, eggs and seafood, while many dark-green leafy vegetables are rich in beta carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A. Other foods containing ample amounts of beta carotene include carrots, cantaloupe, winter squash, sweet potatoes, sweet red peppers, apricots and mangoes.

　　Vitamin C helps improve the blood supply to the skin and aids in forming collagen(胶原) , the fibrous protein that lies beneath the skin's surface and gives it a smooth appearance. Good sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits and juices, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, snow peas, red and green peppers, broccoli, white and sweet potatoes, tomatoes, watermelon, honeydew melon and cantaloupe.

　　Greens are excellent sources of skin-preserving nutrients and, generally, the darker the leaves, the more nutritious. Romaine lettuce, for example has about six times as much vitamin C and eight times as much beta carotene as iceberg lettuce.

　　How food is prepared matters too. The longer vegetables cook, the greater the loss of vitamins and texture. Don't soak vegetables when washing them, since water-soluble vitamins such as C will be lost.

　　Blumberg also recommends drinking six to eight glasses of water or other fluids each day to help keep skin and other tissues hydrated. "That's especially important for older people," he says, "who are at risk for dehydration because their thirst drive becomes blunted with age. " Coffee, colas and tea aren't the best sources, since they contain caffeine, a diuretic that induces water loss.

　　Hair. Healthy, shining hair is second only to vibrant skin for making one look younger. Yet many people unwittingly mistreat their hair by eating an unbalanced diet.

　　When a 33-year-old employee at a Texas corporation decided to lose weight quickly, she went on a fad diet, high in fiber and bulk, but low in protein. Over three months, she lost a lot of weight. She also lost a good deal of her hair.

　　Dermatologist (皮肤病学家) David Alkek, a clinical professor at the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center at Dallas, sees too many cases like this woman's. When diets don't contain enough amino acids, the building blocks of protein, there's dramatic increase in hair loss as the body breaks down its own protein.

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