Tomatoes proven to prevent sun damage

Researchers at Manchester and Newcastle Universities have identified that eating five tomatoes a day may protect consumers against sunburn and premature ageing.

The study demonstrated that tomatoes improved the skin’s ability to protect itself against ultraviolet light, comparable to applying factor 1.3 sunscreen.

In the tests, ten people out of twenty ate five tablespoons of tomato paste, the equivalent of five cooked tomatoes, with 10g of olive oil. The other ten consumed just olive oil. Those eating the paste had 33 per cent greater protection against sunburn.

The experiment lasted 12 weeks, with participants exposed to ultraviolet light at the trial’s beginning and end.

Ultraviolet light produces excess 'reactive oxygen species' molecules, damaging skin structures and causing skin cancer. The lycopene content of tomatoes neutralises the molecules.

The tomatoes were cooked and made into paste because the heating process frees up lycopene.

Analysis of skin samples from both groups showed that tomatoes had also boosted participants’ procollagen levels, a molecule giving skin its structure. Skin ages through losing procollagen, reducing elasticity.