日光中的紫外線是皮膚老化的元兇。
茄紅素是一種有效的抗自由基的成分
「妳看得出我的年齡嗎？」要保持年輕的肌膚讓人看不出妳的年齡，最重要的就是防曬。
現在醫學研究進一步發現，多吃番茄就可以讓妳的皮膚對抗紫外線所造成的老化。
2010年英國的研究，發現常吃番茄的人，可攝取到較多的茄紅素。與其他對照組比較，皮膚比較不會被紫外線曬傷。
茄紅素是一種有效的抗自由基的成分，在番茄中的含量很高。
補充茄紅素的人，細胞基質中的分解酶會明顯降低，而這種分解酶正是皮膚提早衰老的主因。
所以邱醫師常勸大家，如果要吃水果，就多吃番茄、蘋果和芭樂，是有道理的。
Tomato Compounds Promote Healthy Skin
Posted on 2010-10-12 06:00:00 in Functional Foods | Skin-Hair |
Lycopene, an antioxidant compound found in high concentrations in tomatoes, has been shown by previous studies to exert beneficial effects on the heart, blood pressure, prostate, and bone. M. Rizwan, from The University of Manchester (United Kingdom), and colleagues studied 20 healthy women, average age 33 years, with skin types defined as phototype I/II. Women either received either 55 grams of tomato paste (containing 16 milligrams/day of lycopene) in olive oil, or just olive oil, to consume daily for 12 weeks. The team found that the daily dose of ultraviolet light needed to cause skin reddening increased, from 26.4 mJ/cm2 at the study’s start to stand at 36.6 mJ/cm2 after lycopene supplementation, a result which shows an improved resistance of the skin to reddening among those subjects who consumed the tomato paste. Additionally, the researchers found that lycopene supplementation reduced the UVA-induction of the matrix metalloprotease enzyme MMP-1, which has a key role in the degradation of the extracellular matrix during premature skin aging. The team concludes that: “Tomato paste containing lycopene provides protection against acute and potentially longer term aspects of photodamage.”