Study finds blackcurrant extract improves collagen and skin elasticity in menopausal women

BLACKCURRANTS could be a secret weapon for menopausal women in the battle against wrinkles, a new study revealed.

Commonly referred to as ‘the change’, menopause usually hits women from the age of 45 onwards. 

In addition to a woman’s period stopping, it causes a number of other adjustments to the body including the skin.

As we age, we stop producing as much collagen, which gives skin its elasticity, and this leads to loss of facial firmness and volume.

Combined with hormonal changes which cause dryness, fine lines and wrinkles appear as does sagging in the cheek, jawline and neck area.

But blackcurrant extract could hold the answer to keeping droopy skin and creases at bay, according to researchers in Japan. 

The key is in the skin of the fruit which contains anthocyanins, which is concentrated in each capsule of CurraNZ, delivering a whopping 105mg per dose, equivalent to a generous handful of blackcurrants.

Consuming blackcurrants or CurraNZ, may have a positive impact on the skin.

Researchers at the Department of Bioscience and Laboratory Medicine, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Health Sciences, investigated how anthocyanins can increase levels of collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid - the building blocks in human skin.

Lead study author Naoki Nanashima says: “The present study demonstrates that exposure to blackcurrant or anthocyanins increased the level of extracellular matrix (essential scaffolding of the skin) molecules such as collagen and elastin in human skin fibroblasts (a cell which produces collagen).

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the this type of activity of blackcurrant extract and anthocyanins in the skin.” 

Although Nanashima’s study was a preclinical trial, his report concluded: “Long-term ingestion is expected to be effective, even at low concentrations.”  

The menopause can be a rough ride for women who are dealing with physical and emotional changes.

At CurraNZ, we receive a lot of positive feedback from women experiencing menopause who find our blackcurrant extract helps reduce unpleasant symptoms and increases energy. This latest finding on the anti-ageing effects on skin is another exciting insight to the benefits of these ‘small but mighty’ berries.