Protect Your Skin with Your Diet!

February 5, 2010

Today, young women are getting skin cancer at unprecedented rates (Mayo Clinic Study, 2005). Basal-cell skin cancer among women ages 15 – 29 has risen 300 percent in 2.5 years. Although these carcinomas are hardly ever lethal, the rate of deadly melanomas has grown too and has been linked to the early use of tanning beds. In fact, melanoma is virtually the only form of cancer that has become more common over the past five years.

The biggest problem is that having any sort of skin cancer at a young age, chances of recurrance are very high. We’ve all been alerted to the obvious retreats from the damaging sun rays, like stay in the shade, or use 45 SPF ~ but now there are studies that have proven that dietary intake can prevent skin cancer and or it’s recurrence and make skin less susceptible to sunburn.

Tomatoe Sauce – In a study of volunteers who ate tomato sauce daily, sensitivity to the sun was reduced 32%. Cooked tomatoes provide large amounts of antioxidant lycopene, and oil improves the body’s absorption of it. The sun protection is low (SPF 2-3) but it covers the whole body, lasts all day after consumption and helps guard against the cumulative effects of inadvertent sun exposure. Pass the pasta sauce please!!

Spinach – Green leafy vegetables can prevent squamous-cell skin cancer or at least its recurrent. In a study over 11 years and 1,000 participants, those who had previously had skin cancer and ate vegetables such as spinach and chard regularly, reduced their risk of the cancer returning by up to 55%. Spinach is full of antioxidants, such as folate and vitamins C and E that counteract the sun’s damaging effects.

Cocoa – Well, we doubt anyone will complain about this one! Dark chocolate with elevated levels of antioxidants called flavonols can make skin less susceptible to sunburn. A study conducted by the Journal of Nutrition of 24 women volunteers, drank a specially formulated chocolate beverage daily for 12 weeks and had 25% less skin redness in response to UV exposure and also improved their skin texture and hydration. Researchers say that eating 3-4 ounces of dark chocolate a day will provide this benefit.

Fish Oil – Omega 3 fatty acids found in fatty fish and supplements can help prevent nonmelanoma skin cancer (Review in Cancer Detection and Prevention). 21 volunteers took a pill containing 4 grams of omega-3 fatty acids daily for three months and developed significantly less sunburn and DNA damage when exposed to UV light than 21 other study subjects who took a placebo.

Fern Extract – The supplement Heliocare (an antioxident from ferns) significantly reduced UV-induced DNA damage in nine volunteers in ONE day (Study from Harvard Medical School).

Brown Seaweed – Mice that were fed antioxidents from brown seaweed developed 56% fewer skin tumors than untreated mice after repeated exposure to UVB light. Eating a meal of sushi or taking the supplement Seanol could provide similar protection in humans, particularly if you also use sunscreen. (International Journal of Cancer, December 2006). This is one of the strongest inhibitors of UV-induced skin cancer seen to date, according to Gary D. Stoner, professor of internal medicine at Ohio State University.