Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Can Chocolate Help Prevent Sunburns?

The heat is intense here in Arizona, and while there's no substitute for sunscreen, there are foods that can help boost your skin's natural sun protection factor.

Previous research has shown dark chocolate is good for your heart, and now a new study shows it also increases your skin's natural SPF.

In the study, volunteers ate an ounce of dark chocolate every day for 12 weeks, and at the end of the study, it took twice as much sun exposure for the volunteers to burn in the sun.

Researchers think flavonoids in the chocolate are responsible, because they help boost circulation to the skin and guard against UV damage.

A few things to keep in mind if you're looking to boost your SPF with chocolate -- look for at least 70 percent cacao content in a bar that's cold-processed, because heat can destroy the flavonoids, and moderation is key. Just an ounce did the trick in the study.

Other foods that boost your natural SPF include cantaloupes, guavas and berries, which are all rich in lycopene, a plant chemical that helps protect against the sun's UVB rays.
Tomatoes are another great source of lycopene, especially when cooked.

Nutritionists also recommend eating salmon because it's full of omega-3, which can help protect skin cells against the damage that causes aging and cancer.

FOX 10’s Kristin Anderson has the story.

Source


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