Study supports lycopene protecting skin from = within

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Study supports = lycopene=20 protecting skin from within

By Stephen=20 Daniells

29/04/2008- Consuming lycopene-rich tomato paste = may protect=20 against sunburn and sun-induced skin ageing, British researchers = have=20 reported.

Subjects = who=20 consumed tomato paste were found to have 33 per cent more = protection=20 against sunburn, compared to the control group, researchers from = the=20 Universities of Newcastle and Manchester presented at the = British=20 Society for Investigative Dermatology this month

The = research=20 taps into one of the newest trends in nutritional foods - the = "beauty from=20 within" segment, which is predicted to become a strong niche over = the next=20 few years.

The researchers recruited 20 people and randomly = assigned them to receive 55 grams (five tablespoons) of standard = tomato=20 paste with 10g of olive oil daily, or just olive oil, for 12 = weeks.=20 NutraIngredients.com has not seen the full data.

The skin = of the=20 volunteers was exposed to UV light at the start and end of the = trial, and=20 the researchers found that the tomato paste-supplemented group had = 33 per=20 cent more protection against sunburn, than the olive oil only-fed = group.=20 This level of protection was equivalent to a sunscreen with a sun=20 protection factor (SPF) of 1.3, said the researchers.

The = benefits=20 of the tomato paste were attributed to the lycopene content, which = may=20 neutralise the harmful effects of UV light due to the excess = production=20 reactive oxygen species (ROS) which can damage important skin = structures.=20

Skin samples taken from the subjects indicated that the = tomato=20 paste-supplemented individuals had higher skin levels of = pro-collagen, a=20 molecule which gives the skin its structure and loss of which = leads to=20 skin ageing and lack of elasticity.

Co-researcher = Professor Lesley=20 Rhodes said: "The tomato diet boosted the level of procollagen = in the=20 skin significantly. These increasing levels suggest potential = reversal of=20 the skin ageing process. This is in addition to the significant = reduction=20 in sunburn.

"These weren't huge amounts = of=20 tomato we were feeding the group. It was the sort of quantity you = would=20 easily manage if you were eating a lot of tomato-based meals.=20

"People should not think that tomatoes = in any=20 way can replace sun creams, but they may be a good additive. If = you can=20 improve your protection through your diet then over several years, = this=20 may have a significant = effect."

Benefits=20 extend to DNA

Attendees at the annual meeting of = the=20 British Society for Investigative Dermatology also heard = that=20 lycopene was capable of reducing damage to mitochondrial DNA in = the skin,=20 which is also believed to be linked with skin ageing. =

"The=20 protective effect of eating tomatoes on our mitochondria is = important as=20 they are the energy producers in all our body cells including = skin,"=20 said Professor Mark Birch-Machin. "Therefore being kind to our = mitochondria is likely to contribute to improved skin health, = which in=20 turn may have an anti-ageing = effect."

Independent=20 comment

Commenting on the results, Nina Goad of = the=20 British Association of Dermatologists said: "While the = protection=20 offered by lycopene is low, this research suggests that a diet = containing=20 high levels of antioxidant rich tomatoes could provide an extra = tool in=20 sun protection."

Opportunities for beauty = from=20 within

This is not the first time that lycopene = has been=20 reported to boost skin health from within. Indeed, Israel's = LycoRed has=20 already developed a carotenoid ingredient for supplements which is = aimed=20 at protecting the skin from sunburn. The ingredient is a = carotenoid=20 composition of lycopene, phytoene, phytofluene, and optionally = vitamin E,=20 that protects the skin from the damaging effects of UV=20 radiation.

Increasingly, companies already involved in the=20 functional food market have been looking to spread into the = cosmeceutical=20 arena. A recent Datamonitor report predicted the overall European=20 cosmeceuticals market to grow to $4.4bn (=803.4bn) in 2009, up 5 = per cent=20 from today. This includes all cosmetic products containing at = least one=20 bio-active ingredient for the skin.

The journal New = Nutrition=20 Business' 10 Key Trends in Food, Nutrition and Health 2008 report = earlier=20 this year adds further weight to the importance of the beauty = segment.=20 Author Julian Mellentin said the charge in Europe is being led by = the=20 dairy sector.

He said: "Beauty foods .. offer a real=20 opportunity to create new demand in a place where there are few=20 competitors. They are capitalising on the connection the cosmetics = industry has been building in consumers' minds over the last three = to four=20 years.

"The single-biggest event in food = and=20 health of 2007 was the European launch by Danone of its Essensis = beauty=20 yoghurt - one of the boldest moves in the nutrition industry in = recent=20 years."

Source: British Society for = Investigative=20 Dermatology Annual Meeting
8 April 2008,
"Lycopene = protects against biomarkers of photodamage in human skin"=20
Researchers: M. Rizwan, I Rodriguez-Blanco, A. Harbottle, = M.=20 Birch-Machin, R.E.B. Watson, L.E. Rhodes

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