Chennai: Healthy dietary choices make important contributions to skin health. In fact, researchers have begun to investigate how food choices might influence the skin’s intrinsic protection against damage from sun exposure – known as photodamage.
Avoiding prolonged sun exposure, wearing protective clothing and using topical sunscreen are key strategies to protect against photodamage, but research suggests that diet may play a supporting role.
A new study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology and funded by the Almond Board of California provides the first clinical evidence that consuming almonds may help support the skin’s resistance to UVB light.
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) investigated whether daily almond intake could increase resistance to UVB light(the main source of skin damage from sun exposure) and improve skin texture. Theparticipants in the study were young women who self-identified as Asian, ages 18-45 years, with skin types that ranged from ‘burns and does not tan easily’ to ‘burns a little and tans easily,’ technically classified as Fitzpatrick skin types II, III or IV.
The women were randomly assigned to eat 1.5 ounces (42 grams, 246 calories) of almonds or 1.8 ounces (51 grams, 200 calories) of pretzels daily for 12 weeks. Data from 29 participants was analysed at the completion of the study and increased resistance to UVB exposure in young Asian women was found after three months of daily almond consumption.