You heard right. Tomatoes contain lycopene, which is what gives them their red colour and ironically helps prevent you from going red in the sun.The highest amount of the stuff is found in cooked tomatoes, like sauces and pastes.
In fact, a UK study* compared the skin of 20 people, half of whom were fed 55g of tomato paste every day for 12 weeks. The result: after four months of eating them, the subjects had a 33% increased protection against sunburn. But don't go thinking Dolmio will save you from skin cancer. The researchers calculated that that was only equivalent to an SPF of 1.3.
“Eating tomatoes will not make you invincible in the sun, but it may be a useful addition to sun protection along with sunscreens, shade and clothing,” says Professor Mark Birch-Machin, molecular dermatologist at Newcastle University. We say go heavy on the pasta sauces this summer.
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