Tomatoes found to protect against sun damage at a molecular level

Tomatoes could o er another line of defence in our e orts to protect our skin from the sun, according to a study published in the British Journal of Dermatology.

The study, conducted by researchers from Germany, found that a lycopene- rich tomato nutrient complex and a lutein-containing nutritional supplement both helped to protect the skin from sunburn and photo-ageing.

Ma hew Gass of the British Association of Dermatologists said, “Eating tomatoes and kale isn’t a substitute for sunscreen or other forms of sun protection such as protective clothing and shade. However, this study shows that these lycopene and lutein supplements could be an extra tool to protect against sun damage.”

Professor Jean Krutmann, one of the researchers from the Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, said, “Our study further supports the concept that dietary strategies are bene cial for human skin in general and that nutritional supplements of the exact kind used in this study are very e ective in providing protection against UVA radiation-induced skin damage in particular. It also demonstrates that assessment of molecular markers is a very powerful approach to study e cacy of oral photo-protective strategies and that measurement of erythema responses only poses the risk of underestimating these benefitts.”