Welcome to the July 2026 issue of Research Extracts. “The Extracts” is designed to keep busy practitioners and savvy consumers up to date on the latest research on diet, nutrients, botanicals, the microbiome, the environment, and lifestyle approaches to good health and wellness. Our medical team, including NDs, RDs, PhDs, an MS chemistry, an LAc, and a Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD), summarizes the essence of several interesting recent studies.
In this issue: (1) healthy skin from within, (2) resistance exercise and essential amino acid intake, (3) effects of green tea on mortality, and (4) nature-based social prescription.
Hyaluronic Acid Supplementation Improves Skin Hydration*
Great skincare shouldn’t stop at the surface. As researchers learn more about the connection between nutrition and skin health, it’s becoming clear that improving hydration from within is an important part of maintaining healthy, youthful-looking skin.
At the center of this story is hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring molecule often described as the skin’s moisture reservoir. Found throughout the skin and connective tissues, hyaluronic acid has a remarkable ability to bind water, helping maintain skin suppleness, elasticity, and resilience. However, natural levels decline with age, contributing to dryness, loss of firmness, and the appearance of fine lines. Research has increasingly focused on understanding how this decline affects skin health and whether nutritional strategies can help support healthy levels over time.
Recent scientific reviews suggest that hyaluronic acid plays a far broader role than simply retaining moisture. It contributes to skin barrier integrity, supports tissue structure, and participates in the complex biological processes that help maintain youthful-looking skin. As interest in beauty-from-within approaches continues to grow, researchers have begun investigating whether oral supplementation can meaningfully influence these skin functions.
A recently published randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial involving 150 healthy adults provides some of the strongest evidence to date. Participants received either 60 mg or 120 mg of oral sodium hyaluronate daily or a placebo for 12 weeks. The results demonstrated significant improvements in several measures of skin health in both treatment groups, particularly at the higher dose. Individuals who took 120 mg daily had measurable increases in skin hydration, improved elasticity and barrier function, and a reduction in wrinkle depth around the eyes, compared with the placebo group. Researchers also measured increases in epidermal thickness, dermal density, and natural moisturizing factor components in both treatment groups, suggesting improvements extended beyond surface hydration to underlying skin structure.
These findings reinforce an important shift in how we think about skin health. While topical products remain valuable, healthy skin is ultimately supported by a combination of external care and internal nourishment. By helping support the skin’s natural moisture-retention systems and barrier function from within, oral sodium hyaluronate may offer a complementary approach to maintaining hydration, elasticity, and visible skin quality as we age.*
Note: Thorne Radiant Skin Complex provides high-quality oral hyaluronic acid along with collagen boosting and antioxidant ingredients designed to support skin health.*
Contributed by Hemali Gunt, PhD
Doleckova I, Kusnierik P, Berka V, et al. Oral sodium hyaluronate improves skin hydration, barrier function and signs of aging: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 150 healthy adults. Sci Rep. 2025;16(1):2941. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-32758-5.
Resistance Exercise and Essential Amino Acid Intake
During and after perimenopause, estrogen levels decrease, which, along with a whole host of symptoms, can impair the regulation of skeletal muscle protein synthesis and breakdown, leading to a loss of muscle mass and impaired ability to complete activities of daily living throughout the aging process. Resistance exercise and supplementation with essential amino acids (EAAs) are recognized as synergistic, non-pharmacological interventions for maintaining muscle mass, particularly in the elderly.
The present randomized controlled trial included 96 healthy women age 65 and older, and participants were placed in one of four groups: control (no intervention), resistance exercise only, EAA supplementation only, or a combination of resistance exercise and EAA supplementation. The resistance exercise was a circuit-based training program targeting major muscle groups like chest, back, arms, and legs, three times per week for 60 minutes. The EAA supplement contained 5.5 g of EAAs (including 1.4 g leucine), which participants were instructed to take twice daily.
After 12 weeks, resistance exercise and EAA supplementation were shown to promote lean muscle mass and evoke greater improvements in scores on the Senior Fitness Test (SFT), which evaluates muscle strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, balance, cardiorespiratory endurance, and coordination. Researchers also recorded improvements in muscle function, strength, agility, and cardiorespiratory endurance – showing that a combination of resistance exercise and EAA supplementation not only have positive effects on muscle quantity, but also quality.
Both the resistance exercise-only group and the resistance exercise + EAA group showed favorable changes in proteins involved in muscle growth, including lower levels of myostatin, which can limit muscle growth, and higher levels of follistatin, which helps support muscle development. Blood markers also indicated that resistance training combined with EAA supplementation supported a healthy inflammatory response.
Researchers concluded that combining resistance training with EAA supplementation was more effective than either approach alone. Together, these strategies can help healthy older women maintain muscle mass and support muscle function as they age.
Note: Thorne Amino Complex contains a clinically validated blend of nine EAAs, including 1.25 g of leucine, to support lean muscle mass. For additional muscular support, consider Thorne Creatine + BCAAs, with 5 g of creatine monohydrate and 5 g of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), including 2.5 g of leucine.*
Contributed by Maura MacDonald, MS, RD, CSSD
Jeong D, Valentine RJ, Jeong H, et al. Combined resistance exercise and essential amino acid intake enhance follistatin/myostatin ratio and muscle fitness in older women: a randomized controlled trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2026 Dec 31;23(1):2646626. doi: 10.1080/15502783.2026.2646626.
Drinking Green Tea Reduces All-Cause Mortality Risk
Green tea is widely consumed across the globe and is rich in antioxidant polyphenols, including flavonoids and catechins, that have been studied for cellular protection and metabolic health benefits. Because of the caffeine content in tea and consumption patterns that typically include adding sugar or milk, excess consumption has often been cautioned against.
This study explored the association between green tea consumption and risk of all-cause mortality in Vietnam, a country with a long history of drinking tea. Data from a population-based cohort study was used, evaluating the diet via food frequency questionnaires and the health status of participants via medical records, in addition to exploring variables such as smoking status, education level, and anthropometric data.
Results from the 11-year study showed overall that as green tea consumption increased, the risk of all-cause mortality decreased, showing an inverse association. This pattern was seen across ages but was more predominant in males, compared to females. Additionally, green tea consumption showed the same inverse association in those with and without a history of type 2 diabetes and regardless of smoking status. Estimated survival proportions were lowest in those with rare intake of green tea and highest in those with average consumption of nine or more cups of green tea daily. Overall, these results showed that green tea intake appeared to provide a protective effect on lifespan.
Note: While not a beverage, Thorne Green Tea Phytosome provides the powerful antioxidant polyphenols found in green tea leaves, in capsule form, helping to maintain the body’s level of glutathione, another important antioxidant.*
Contributed by Carly Carnelli, MPH, RD
Le NT, Pham YT-H, Nguyen HL, et al. Green tea consumption and risk of all-cause mortality: findings from a prospective cohort study. Nutrients. 2026; 18(12):1937.
Finding Connection Through Nature: A Social Prescribing Approach to Loneliness
Loneliness has increasingly been recognized as a public health concern due to its impact on health-care systems and adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, depression, and premature mortality. In addition to its impact on individual well-being across all stages of life, loneliness also contributes to substantial societal and economic costs.
Approaches to alleviate loneliness include nature-based social prescribing (NBSP), which fosters social connections with natural environments to connect individuals with non-clinical needs to activities such as hiking, bird watching, or gardening. A European Union-funded project, known as Reimagining Environments for Connection and Engagement: Testing Actions for Social Prescribing in Natural Spaces (RECETAS), used a specific NBSP referred to as Friends in Nature (FiN), which consisted of an individual introductory interview followed by nine two-hour facilitated group sessions conducted in natural environments over approximately 10 weeks. In total, 320 participants, age 18 or older, who reported experiencing loneliness, were randomized 1:1 to the FiN intervention or usual care (UC) group, which consisted of signposting to nature-based activities without the structured group program.
Health outcomes and costs were assessed in both FiN and UC groups at baseline and again at three, six, and 12 months post-intervention. Health outcomes including loneliness, health-related quality of life, and capability well-being were assessed. To evaluate the broader social and economic value of the intervention, researchers conducted a Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis, which quantifies the social value generated relative to the costs of implementation. Health-care utilization and related costs were assessed using health economic questionnaires administered throughout the study.
Among the study’s key findings:
Although improvements were observed in both groups, the structured FiN intervention generated greater overall social value than usual care when both health and broader societal outcomes were considered. These findings suggest NBSP may generate meaningful social and economic value, while helping to reduce loneliness and improve well-being.
The authors concluded that, although their findings should be interpreted within the context of the study population and setting, incorporating structured nature-based interventions into public health strategies may represent a worthwhile investment.
Contributed by Ashley Kucera, MPH
Papon V, Puntscher S, Masó-Aguado M, et al. Evaluating the social return on investment of nature-based social prescribing to alleviate loneliness: a randomized controlled trial in Barcelona. Front Public Health. 2026;14:1774155. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1774155.
Source: Thorne Take 5 Daily
