A colorful diet can lead to a brighter complexion
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This article is part of a special issue investigating key issues surrounding skin care. Find the complete series here.
Your skin is under constant attack. Exhaust fumes, cigarette smoke, particulate pollution, heavy metals and ozone produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) that attack DNA, damage cell membranes and break down proteins essential for life. Perhaps the most harmful is ultraviolet light, which generates ROS and directly damages DNA.
The body can scavenge and neutralize reactive oxygen species, but it requires molecules in fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens to do this.
Carotenoids are one of the nutrients most extensively studied for these benefits. These pigments give plants like pumpkins their bright colors. “They are very good antioxidants and are particularly good at neutralizing singlet oxygen (a type of ROS),” says Jean Klutman Leibniz Institute for Environmental Medicine, Dusseldorf, Germany Recently analyzed 50 years of data from human clinical trials involving carotenoid supplements. “Carotenoids trap them and neutralize them before they can cause damage.”
These substances are best suited to protect against the longer wavelengths of UVA light. UVA penetrates the deepest layer of the skin and produces ROS, which causes skin aging, wrinkles and cancer. However, carotenoids do not protect against direct DNA damage caused by the rays themselves, which means they cannot be considered a substitute for sunscreen.
Good dietary sources include carrots and tomatoes. To get the most benefit,…
