Let your skin glow

| 3 June 2011
minute reading time

New research suggests that eating a healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables gives you a healthier golden glow than the sun. The research published in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour showed that instead of heading for the sun the best way to look good is to munch on carrots and tomatoes. The researchers found that people who eat more portions of fruit and vegetables per day have a more golden skin colour, thanks to substances called carotenoids. When participants in this study were asked to rate human faces on attractiveness and healthy look, majority of them preferred the golden skin tone over a suntan. Carotenoids are responsible for the red colouring in fruit and vegetables such as carrots, tomatoes, apricots, sweet potatoes, and they are also abundant in dark green vegetables such as spinach and kale. Apart from giving your skin a healthy glow, carotenoids are also antioxidants which means they help soak up damaging compounds produced by the stresses and strains of everyday living.

Stephen I.D. et al., 2011. Carotenoid and melanin pigment coloration affect perceived human health. Evolution and Human Behaviour. 32 (3) 216-227.

About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
I joined Viva! as a health campaigner in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. My scientific training helped me research and write numerous reports, guides and fact sheets for Viva! including Meat the Truth, Fish-Free for Life, One in Nine (breast cancer and diet) and the substantial report on the detrimental health effects of consuming dairy; White Lies. This accompanied Viva!’s report The Dark Side of Dairy which spelt out the inherent cruelty of dairy farming. We were the first UK group to take on the dairy industry in this way, and many of our supporters go vegan after reading these reports.

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