Ladies, you don't need to waste money on expensive skin
creams.Scientists say tomatoes may provide the best defence to the skin
from sun damage and help you look young.
Tests have shown that eating tomato paste could help protect against sunburn and skin ageing caused by sunlight exposure.
-The age-defying ingredient is lycopene - the natural pigment that
makes tomatoes red - with highest levels found in processed or cooked
tomatoes used in ketchup, paste, soup and juice.
-In the study, women eating a diet rich in processed tomatoes had
increased skin protection, as seen by a reduction in skin redness and
less DNA damage from ultraviolet (UV) exposure.
-Researchers compared the skin of 20 women, half of whom were given
five tablespoons (55g) of standard tomato paste with 10g of olive oil
every day for 12 weeks.
-The effects on their skin were compared with the remaining
volunteers, aged between 21 and 47, eating just olive oil for the same
span of time.
-The volunteers were exposed to UV rays found in sunlight at the beginning and end of the trial.
-The researchers found significant improvement in the skin's
ability to protect itself against UV among those eating tomato paste.
-Compared with the other women, the tomato-eating group had 33 per
cent more protection against sunburn in the form of less redness.
-The researchers calculated that protection offered by the tomato
paste to be equivalent to a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF)
of 1.3.
-Skin samples taken from groups before and after the trial showed an
increase in levels of procollagen, a molecule which gives skin its
structure and loss of which leads to skin ageing and lack of elasticity.
-There was also less damage to mitochondrial DNA in the skin, which is also linked to skin ageing.
-Dermatology scientist Prof Mark Birch-Machin from Newcastle
University said the tomato paste eaten was not overly excessive, but the
amount that would be consumed from a lot of tomato-based meals.
"Eating tomatoes will not make you invincible in the sun but it may
be a useful addition to sun protection along with sunscreen, shade and
clothing", he said.
"The protective effect of eating tomatoes on our mitochondria is
important as they are the energy producers in all our body cells
including skin. Therefore being kind to our mitochondria is likely to
contribute to improved skin health, which in turn may have an
anti-ageing effect",he added.