'Tomato diet' can prevent sunburn

Eating pizza topped with tomato paste can help prevent sunburn and premature wrinkles, new research suggests.

A study found that volunteers who ate helpings of ordinary tomato paste over a 12 week period developed skin that was less likely to burn in the sun.

They were 33% more protected against sunlight than another group who were not given tomato paste. The effect of eating tomatoes was equivalent to slapping on a factor 1.3 sunscreen.

Changes were also seen within the skin of the volunteers that counteract the appearance of ageing. Scientists think a powerful antioxidant in tomatoes called lycopene is responsible.

It has the ability to neutralise harmful molecules produced in skin exposed to the sun's ultra violet (UV) rays. Damage inflicted by these free radical molecules on skin structures and DNA can lead to premature ageing and skin cancer.

Lycopene gives tomatoes their red colouring. Previous research has shown that cooked tomatoes contain higher levels of lycopene than raw tomatoes. Tomato paste of the sort used to make pizza toppings is made from highly concentrated cooked tomatoes and is especially rich in lycopene.

Skin levels of procollagen, a molecule which helps the skin stay supple and young looking, were boosted by the tomato diet.

Professor Lesley Rhodes, a dermatologist at the University of Manchester, said: "The tomato diet boosted the level of procollagen in the skin significantly. These increasing levels suggest potential reversal of the skin ageing process. This is in addition to the significant reduction in sunburn.

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

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

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