The black spot could be from glycation

This is the process that results in the brown spots and blemishes, generally referred to as ‘age spots’, on the skin of elderly people. It is a reaction between proteins and some of the sugars present in the body. Another example of this reaction can be seen in the browning of an apple that has been cut open and left exposed to the air. In this case amino acids and sugars in the apple have combined to cause the discolouration.

Glycation reactions are involved in other areas of the body besides the skin, for example in diabetes and vascular health where they can influence mental degenerative conditions. Inhibition of the end products of glycation is therefore an important function for health generally. In the case of aging effects on the skin, the development of glycation blemishes causes the skin to become unattractive and by inhibiting this process the emotional confidence of appearance can be maintained.

In the skin the effects of glycation reactions extend beyond the creation of brown blemishes because they can also involve sugars binding to the collagen and elastin proteins in the skin. This causes wrinkling and stiffening by upsetting the balancing activity of regenerative fibroblast cells.

Antioxidant activity is important for the natural inhibition of glycation processes as is a healthy dietary and lifestyle regime. This is true even for young people but especially so after the age of 50 years. For people of middle and older age, regular consumption of a natural inhibitor of glycation in the form of a dietary supplement that is safe to take on a regular basis can be very beneficial.

A simple and safe mechanism for inhibiting glycation activity involves the regulation of apoptosis combined with antioxidant functions. Apoptosis is the medical term for programmed cell death which is a natural and essential process in the body.

In laboratory and clinical studies an extract of a Japanese cherry flower called Sakura has been shown to effectively inhibit glycation and to be safe for human use. Its functionality in inhibiting glycation is due to its natural content of plant flavonoids and glucose sugar compounds.

References

1. Yoshikazu Yonei; Masayuki Yagi; Mari Ogura; Haruhi Sugimura. Anti-Glycation Activity and Safety of Foods Containing Lingonberry Extract and Cherry Blossom Extract and Chewable Tablets Containing Citric Acid and Calcium −A Placebo-Controlled Randomized Single-Blind Parallel Group Comparative Study. Anti-Aging Medicine 10(2):21-35, 2013.
2. Shimoda H; Nakamura S; Morioka M; Tanaka J; Matsuda H, Yoshikawa M. Effect of Cinnamoyl and Flavonol Glucosides Derived from Cherry Blossom Flowers on the Production of Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) and AGE-induced Fibroblast Apoptosis. Phytother Res. 2011 Feb 10. doi: 10.1002/ptr.3423.
3. Matsuura R; Moriyama H; Takeda N; Yamamoto K; Morita Y; Shimamura T; Ukeda H. Determination of antioxidant activity and characterization of antioxidant phenolics in the plum vinegar extract of cherry blossom (Prunus lannesiana). J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Jan 23, 56(2):544-549. Epub 2007 Dec 20.
4. Pageon H; Zucchi H; Rousset F; Monnier VM; Asselineau D. Skin aging by glycation: lessons from the reconstructed skin model. Clin Chem Lab Med. 2013 Jun 15:1-6. doi: 10.1515/cclm-2013-0091.
5. Gkogkolou P; Böhm M. Advanced glycation end products: Key players in skin aging? Dermatoendocrinol. 2012 Jul 1, 4(3):259-70.
6. Mesías M; Navarro M; Gökmen V; Morales FJ. Antiglycative effect of fruit and vegetable seed extracts: inhibition of AGE formation and carbonyl-trapping abilities. J Sci Food Agric. 2013 Jun, 93(8):2037-44. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.6012. Epub 2013 Jan 3.