Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, there’s yet another powerful use case for CBD. As well as having a strong presence in our health routines, you can also add CBD to your beauty and skincare routine. We will cover just why that is in this article.
We all want to look and feel young, ideally for the longest possible time into our older biological years. Who wouldn’t? Ageing can vary from person to person and is influenced by our inherent genetics, how we live our lives and what we are exposed to throughout our lifetimes.
This means the process of ageing can be sped up or slowed down. Unfortunately, there’s not a way to completely pause it, yet.
Most of you know the big factors which contribute to healthy ageing. You need to get enough exercise, eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, keep stress levels low. You also need to ensure you have a healthy community around you.
But there are other ways you can boost your anti-ageing capacity that builds on the big factors above. One of those is, yes you guessed it, CBD.
Quite a few of your biological mechanisms drive the process of ageing. Let’s take a look at exactly how CBD products influence these mechanisms to help the anti-ageing process and slow the whole process down. You’ll see exactly the link between CBD and healthy ageing.
Oxidative Stress
Oxidative stress is a phenomenon you might have heard of before. It’s caused by an imbalance between the production and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells and tissues. ROS are basically oxygen atoms that have been stripped of an electron(s), and are essentially imbalanced electrochemically.
The accumulation of ROS in cells and tissues due to oxidative stress is what drives their damage and degradation. Which, as you may have guessed, is what is driving forward the ageing process.
Our ability to buffer and detoxify ROS depends a lot on the bodies natural antioxidant defence mechanisms. It also depends on how many antioxidants we take in via diet, herbs and supplements. The stronger the antioxidant, the better ability it has to ‘scavenge’ ROS.
A lot of oxidative damage can occur from exposure to pollutants in the air and water, which can affect your telomeres.
Telomeres
You may have heard the word telomere before in association with the process of ageing. Telomeres are small cap-like structures that are found on the ends of chromosomes. They’re almost like the bit of plastic that you find on the end of a shoelace that stops it from unwinding.
Every time a cell divides, the telomeres on the chromosomes become slightly shorter. Eventually, the telomeres become so short that the instructions for cell replication become unreadable. This is when that cell becomes senescent. Essentially cellular tissues are unable to regenerate which hallmarks the process of decay.
This is why telomere length is associated with ageing. You can in fact preserve and even increase telomere length. But it takes conscious effort in lifestyle and dietary decisions to do so.
The reason I am talking about telomeres is the connection between oxidative stress and telomere length. An association was found between high amounts of oxidative stress and certain individuals who are more susceptible to oxidative stress and telomere length (1).
This is why it is important to maintain a healthy level of oxidative stress. It helps ensure a balanced physiologic function and preserve the length of telomeres.
CBD AND ANTI-AGEING: ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY
Antioxidants are exactly what they sound like – they combat oxidative stress or oxidation of atoms. An antioxidant can donate an electron(s) to reduce ROS back to a stable atomic charge.
CBD can act as an antioxidant directly, with a potency that rivals that of Vitamin C and E (up to 30% stronger) (2).
But CBD also works at a much deeper level as well, by (2):
- Inhibiting the enzymes that drive oxidation
- Activating antioxidant enzymes at the genetic level through a genetic switch called PPAR-y
- Supports other micronutrients that have antioxidant activity (Zinc, Selenium)
- Supports the bodies natural levels of antioxidant (Glutathione)
This has immense implications, as using CBD internally, such as using drops, or topically can protect our cells from damage. Using CBD as part of a beauty and skincare routine not only leaves you feeling refreshed but also helps your skin as well. This means that we are one step closer to slowing the ageing process, which may promote greater resistance to the process of ageing and diseases which are a consequence of accelerated ageing. From healthier skin to sharper thinking – the upsides are massive.
Inflammation & Ageing
Chronic, low-grade inflammation can also drive ageing. Some refer to this phenomenon as ‘Inflamageing’……..why?
This is because inflammation is the basis for a broad spectrum of age-related diseases that affect different organs. These include diseases such as diabetes type 2, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases
Genetic and environmental factors that promote inflammation or disrupt the mechanisms involved in reducing inflammation hinder anti-ageing efforts too. They promote susceptibility to accelerated ageing and age-related disorders.
CBD & Inflammation
Inflammation occurs in response to exposure to environmental toxicity, pathogens such as viruses, parasites and bacteria. We can also inflict a large amount of inflammation on our bodies through various means. These include stress, a sedentary lifestyle, excessive alcohol and drug use, and poor diet.
The gateway to inflammation is via the gut microbiome and the intestinal wall, which is often referred to as the seat of health and disease. A healthy gut biome and gut wall is a strong insurance policy against disease, via preventing inflammation.
CBD is a powerful anti-inflammatory and acts on many levels. It helps to prevent the occurrence of inflammation, and also fight against existing inflammation.
Its anti-inflammatory ability stems mostly from its ability to organise the immune system and immune cells into a broadly anti-inflammatory configuration, silencing aggressive inflammatory signals and immune cell activity, whilst maintaining an appropriate level of immune strength (2).
The majority of the immune system is found within the gut. From here, CBD exerts its most significant effects which emanate through and benefit the whole body.
As if you needed another reason to use CBD; now you can use CBD products to support healthy ageing and as part of your beauty and skincare routine.
Browse our range of CBD products to enhance your beauty regime.