Introduction

It is completely normal to want to feel good in your own skin. It's nice to hear someone give you compliments on how radiant your skin looks. While achieving good skin can be a walk in the park for some, for others, it can be different for certain reasons like genetic conditions, environment, diet, etc. If you are on a journey to making your skin look way better, you are certainly not alone.  

You might be wondering what having ‘radiant skin’ has got to do with ‘Herring’. If you are, then you are in the right place. 

Herring is a fish that produces a substance that aids radiant skin. That substance is called omega-3 fatty acid. Omega-3 fatty acid is a good fatty acid type for your body.

This article will take you through how Herring has a direct connection to making your skin radiant, the benefits omega-3 fatty acid contributes to your skin and how you can add Herring to your diet. Let’s delve in, shall we?

About herring

Herring is a silvery-coloured fish found in cold and temperate waters.¹ They are under the family ‘Clupeidae’. They are forage fishes because of the fish oil their body produces which is used as bait in fishing. Their life cycle takes them about 3 years to come to maturity.

Herring flesh and organs contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acid which aids skin radiance. You might be wondering how this happens, here is how: Microalgae synthesizes omega-3 fatty acid. Microalgae is consumed by phytoplankton which is then consumed by Herring, hereby stored in their body tissues and organs.²  So you can be assured that when eating different parts of the Herring fish, you are taking in omega-3 fatty acids. 

Benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for skin

Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids. Unsaturated because they contain one or more double bonds in their hydrocarbon chains. Being unsaturated is a great advantage because they do not raise the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in your body that eventually lead to high cholesterol levels, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. These are the reasons why LDL is referred to as the ‘bad’ cholesterol. In this case, unsaturated fatty acids like Omega-3 raise your high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the good cholesterol.³ 

Omega-3 fatty acids as the name implies a fatty acids and fatty acids are an important component of the human cellular structure. It has three main forms namely:

• Alpha linoleic acid (ALA)
• Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
• Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)

With the help of enzymes, ALA is converted to DHA which is eventually converted to EPA. With the help of immune cells, metabolites such as resolvins and maresins are produced.⁴

Research has shown that these metabolites; resolvins and maresins have anti-inflammatory actions, UV radiation protection and wound-healing properties on the skin. They do this by acting on immune cells and epithelial cells on the skin. 

1. Aiding phagocytosis: Resolvin aids immune cells such as macrophages and neutrophils in phagocytosis. Hereby, clearing out bacteria infections that might have invaded the skin⁵  
2. Inhibit dendritic cells and macrophages: Dendritic cells migrate and infiltrate inflamed tissues leading to an inflammatory response. Resolvin helps to negatively regulate dendritic cell migration⁷
3. Cytokine production: Cytokines help inflammatory response by causing the death of abnormal cells. Maresin particularly signals the production of inhibitory cytokines in anti-flammationatory response⁶
4. Aids T-cell migration: Resolvin aids T-cell migration to the antigen produced by the pathogen⁸
5. Aids B-cell function: B-cells play a huge role in adaptive immunity where they differentiate into plasma cells, causing the production of antibodies. Resolvin helps to increase immunoglobulin production such as IgM and IgG⁹
6. Aids neutrophil function: Resolvin allows neutrophils to gain access to the skin to cause phagocytosis of pathogens. However, it also protects the skin by preventing neutrophil-mediated damage¹⁰
7. Helps the epithelial layer of the skin: Epithelial cells on the skin serve as the first line of defence against pathogens. They respond to stimuli by the production of cytokines. In order to regulate the inflammatory response, maresin serves to suppress cytokine production, thereby protecting the epithelial cells of the skin from over-responding to stimuli¹¹ 
8. Reduces the effect of UV radiation on the skin: UV radiation causes skin inflammation leading to skin swelling. Maresin suppresses skin swelling by inhibiting cytokine production¹² 
9. Aids wound healing: As humans, accidents happen, leading to wounds destroying the skin layer and exposing the body to pathogens. Resolvin helps in wound healing by supporting other factors involved in wound healing¹³

How can you incorporate herring into your daily diet?

Daily, our skin is exposed to environmental factors and one of the ways to greatly improve the skin is through our dietary intake. 

Having Herring smoked, fried, grilled or pickled with meals that aid fatty acid absorption e.g. fibre-rich foods, vegetables and fruits are great ways to enjoy the benefits of Herring.

Potential risks

There are little to no health risks of eating Herring that are known yet. However, the method of storage and the method of cooking can influence the quality of Herring.

For example, pickled Herring is said to be high in sodium which can cause high blood pressure. Grilling Herring can deposit carcinogenic substances into Herring.

Summary 

Achieving radiant skin is possible with Herring which has numerous benefits as a result of the active component, omega-3 fatty acid. With the numerous benefits omega-3 offers the skin, incorporating Herring in your diet will make your skin radiant and your skin will definitely thank you for it.