A healthy organism produces antioxidants that help neutralize free radicals. Antioxidants in food also work for the good of the body. Molecules that give color to products, also neutralize harmful free radicals and help protect the body.

English scientists decided to test this theory and started with a pigment that gives tomatoes their bright red color. To find out whether tomatoes can protect the skin from ultraviolet radiation, they conducted an experiment. They needed 36 tubes of tomato paste per person, a special machine that burns the skin with ultraviolet and 23 volunteers.

These people added tomatoes to their diet for 3 months to check whether it affects the susceptibility of their skin to the sun. The substance that gives tomatoes their rich red color is called lycopene. It is found in many fruits and vegetables of orange and red color. But most of all it's in tomatoes. In the human body, lycopene, getting into the skin cells, protects it from free radicals, neutralizing their action before they can damage the skin.

The sun is harmful because of the ultraviolet, penetrating deep into the skin and damaging DNA. All this speeds up aging and increases the risk of skin cancer. At the beginning of the experiment, volunteers were irradiated with ultraviolet light of varying intensity, causing mild burns. Then within 3 months they daily took in food for 55 grams of tomato paste a day. After 3 months, people were again exposed to ultraviolet radiation. Could tomatoes reduce the susceptibility of the skin to sunlight?.

Comparison of the results showed an amazing result: irradiation caused harm to the skin by 30% less. For 3 months, tomatoes increased the ability to protect themselves from ultraviolet radiation by one third. 55 grams of tomato paste per day can improve the natural level of skin protection from the sun. Why was tomato paste, and not fresh fruit, suggested for food? Scientists have proved that the best sources of lycopene are tomato paste and tomato puree, since they contain 5 times more lycopene than fresh tomatoes.

Health. Sumy. Ua.