Eat more fruits and vegetables for a glowing complexion

http://www.themedguru.com/20100525/newsfeature/eat-more-fruits-and-vegetables-glowing-complexion-86135684.html


Eat more fruits and vegetables for a glowing complexion




A natural diet containing fruits and vegetables is not only good for the health but also gives a glow to the skin and rejuvenates the body, suggests a study.

According to researchers, the benefits of eating fruits such melons and apricots plus vegetables like peppers, carrots and spinach are visible in the mirror.

Skin requires a variety of vitamins and nutrients to keep it healthy, glowing and youthful, and a balanced diet helps attain a skin tone which is very attractive.

The secret to a perfect complexion lies in the natural chemicals called carotenoids--a group of some 600 organic pigments found in many plants.

Leader of the research team, Ian Stephen of Bristol University stated, “We have produced evidence that dietary intake of fruit and vegetables affects skin color.

“There are two pigments which have a major effect on yellowness of fair skin: melanin, which is associated with sun exposure and carotenoids from the diet.”

Study details
In order to examine the role of beta-carotene in fruits and vegetables in enhancing the skin tone, the researchers conducted an experiment.

They enrolled participants and encouraged them to adopt the five-a-day diet for a month.

To understand the correct perception of attractive skin, volunteers were asked to evaluate the skin tone on 'before and after' images of the participants who had undertaken the five-a-day diet.

A comparison between those on high and low carotenoid diets revealed that the skin tone that had become golden due to diet rather than the darker skin tone acquired by tanning in the sun was preferred by the volunteers.

Stephen stated, "We found people always preferred the golden effect from diet to the darker effect from the sun. All our results were consistent with carotenoids being the decisive element.”

Implications of the study
The multiple health benefits of a diet rich in vegetables and fruits in lowering blood pressure, cutting the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancers and reducing eye and digestive problems are hard to argue.

However, the scientists are optimistic that the co-relation between a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and glowing skin will be more obvious now.

According to experts, the optimal benefit of carotenoids can be extracted by eating these foods raw or lightly cooked rather than steaming, boiling, or baking them.

Ashley Ward, a makeup artist who has worked with Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock stated, “These new findings completely make sense to me. You are what you eat, and a healthy body
produces a healthy face.