Ladies! Who here would love your beautiful, young looking skin that stays that way as long as possible? I would guess we all do, so we should eat lots of tomatoes! This staple summer vegitable is a miracle worker when it comes to protecting your skin.
German specialists from the Leibniz Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Dusseldorf say that if you include a large number of tomatoes in your diet, it can prevent wrinkles and even skin cancer.
Lycopene in tomatoes helps protect the body from harmful ultraviolet rays. A similar property exists in another pigment - lutein, which is found in large quantities in cabbage and spinach.
In the experiment 65 participants were divided into two groups: the first was given an additive from tomatoes or a placebo, the second was lutein or a placebo also. At the beginning and end of each 12-week course, they received some UVA1 and UVA/B ultraviolet light, and biopsies were taken 24 hours later.
According to the results, in the subjects who did not receive lutein or lycopene, the expression of certain genes that are responsible for skin inflammation and the appearance of wrinkles grew - these are the most common side effects from exposure to sunlight. The substances from tomatoes and cabbage reduced the expression of these genes tremendously!
So break out the salsa, salad and summer sandwiches! Tomatos are your secret weapon to fight the summer sun!
