Researchers have found a natural way to keep skin sun safe this summer. They have listed certain foods that can improve the natural SPF ability of the skin.
The Athens Medical School in England released a study that said that people who ate a quarter cup of tomato paste daily had reduced incidences of sunburn and increased their skin's natural SPF by as much as a third. The researchers conducted the study on 19 volunteers.
The study, published in the journal Nutrition Research, reveals that antioxidants in dark greens like spinach can also dissolve in the body and remove free radicals from the sun.
Previously some researchers said that eating certain foods can actually protect people against sunburn. "Antioxidants such as carotenoids give foods their vibrant colors, and are critical to the photosynthetic process, protecting a plant from damage by light and oxygen," Sara Vance, a clinical nutritionist in the Encinitas, CA, had said in an earlier article. "By consuming plants or organisms that contain these pigments, people can gain a similar protective benefit."
A separate study published in the International Journal of Cancer supports the above theory. The study showed that one serving of leafy green vegetables every day can reduce the recurrence of tumors for skin cancer patients by at least or more than 50 percent.
Other antioxidant-rich foods that can have the SPF effect are sweet potatoes, carrots, green tea, and dark chocolate. Antioxidants enhance skin's natural sun protection factor, which can save one from sunburns.
Recently, The Wolverine star Hugh Jackman removed another cancerous growth. He was diagnosed with basal-cell carcinoma, a slow-growing form of skin cancer. Jackman was treated for the same disease last year. The star strongly advocates to "get checkups and wear sunscreen."
