Sunproof your skin with chocolate
- Some foods may play a role in protecting our skin from the sun
- Tomatoes are most beneficial, orange-coloured fruit and veg also help
- The best news is that dark chocolate may act as a mild sunscreen!
The best way to beat the burn is to stay out of the sun and apply lotion. But research shows that certain foods may also play a part in protecting our skin.
And while covering up between 11am and 3pm and wearing sunscreen is good advice, watching what we eat could help protect us, too.
Having your chocolate and eating it too: A little dark chocolate can act like a mild sunscreen
'Studies have shown that various foods may be able to provide limited protection,' says Nina Goad of the British Association of Dermatologists.
'However, the level of protection is marginal and no ingredient has been identified that would act as a comparable substitute for conventional sun protection methods.'
Dietitian Juliette Kellow reveals the foods which may do more than fill your stomach:
At the top of the list is tomatoes, which get their red colour from lycopene, an antioxidant that makes our skin more resistant to sunlight.
In a British study, adults who consumed 5 tbsp of tomato puree each day had 33 per cent more protection against sunburn - equivalent to an SPF of 1.3 - than those who didn't.
The researchers also found the tomato diet boosted levels of procollagen, a loss of which leads to skin ageing, loss of elasticity and wrinkles. Processed and cooked tomatoes contain more lycopene than fresh - and it's better absorbed by the body.
Other sources of lycopene include pink grapefruit and watermelon.
Carrot-ene: Carrots are rich in the antioxidant beta-carotene, which protects against sunburn
Orange coloured fruit and veg, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, mangoes, apricots and cantaloupe melon, and green leafy veg such as spinach, watercress and broccoli are rich in the antioxidant beta-carotene.
This is good news, according to German researchers, who concluded that taking beta-carotene supplements for ten weeks protected against sunburn.
Eating the fruit and veg rather than taking pills avoids the increased risk of lung cancer that has been linked to supplements in smokers. It takes several weeks to build protection.
Two other antioxidants - vitamins C and E - seem to help protect against sunburn by mopping up cell-damaging free radicals produced by the sun's UV rays.
One study of 4,000 women found those who ate the most vitamin C-rich foods had fewer wrinkles - a side-effect of too much sun - than those who ate the least. Good choices include citrus fruit, berries, peppers, kiwi fruit, blackcurrants and watercress.
Also, vitamin E (found in wheatgerm, avocado, nuts, seeds and olive, sunflower and corn oils) has been shown to reduce the risk of sun damage to skin cells.
THE FAT FACTOR
Adding olive oil, chopped avocado or unsalted nuts and seeds to salads may also keep skin safer because not only do they have vitamin E, but they're also packed with monounsaturated fat.
These fats are stored in the skin layers and protect it against cell damage. Fat also helps the body absorb more lycopene and beta-carotene from food.
Nuts for... Vitamin E, monounsaturated fat and the selenium found in brazil nuts
Selenium-rich Brazil nuts could also be beneficial. Research from the University of Edinburgh treated skin cells with selenium before exposing them to UV light.
Results showed they had the same low level of damage as cells not subjected to UV light. The study's Dr Roddie McKenzie says: 'Selenium protects skin cells from much of the damage caused by UV radiation.'
He recommends eating 200 mcg daily, about ten Brazil nuts. Other good sources include fish, shellfish and eggs.
Eating your greens may help protect your skin and eyes. As well as being rich in beta-carotene, green veg such as kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, green beans and peas are also rich in lutein and zeaxanthin.
These antioxidants are found in the macula of the eye where they help to filter out UV light - in other words, they act like nature's sunglasses.
THE NO-BURN BREW
Fruit and veg juices and smoothies boost intakes of sunburn-saving antioxidants.
Research shows antioxidants called catechins found in green tea may also help. In one German study, sun damage was 25 per cent less in women who drank a daily cup of green tea for 12 weeks.
But here's the best news - a little dark chocolate seems to act like a mild sunscreen.
London scientists discovered eating 20g of chocolate - half a small bar - with a high percentage of cocoa solids every day for 12 weeks meant adults were able to withstand double the amount of UVB rays before their skin started to redden, compared with those who ate ordinary chocolate.
Antioxidants called flavanols in cocoa work the magic.
Always follow sun safety advice, see sunsmart.org.uk for info.