DSM Welcomes Findings on Additional Health Benefits of Beta-Carotene

29/05/08 New research by Professors Wolfgang Köpcke and Jean Krutmann indicates that increased consumption of β-Carotene-rich food may provide long-term systemic protection against sunburn. Köpcke and Krutmann’s paper “Protection From Sunburn with β-Carotene – A Meta Analysis”, which appeared in Photochemistry and Photobiology, 2008, 84, analyzes seven reports on clinical trials exploring the relationship between consumption of β-Carotene and skin resistance to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

The authors, from Münster University Hospital and the Institut für Umweltmedizinische Forschung in Düsseldorf, Germany, respectively, make two major conclusions. “Our meta analysis shows that β-Carotene supplementation significantly protects the skin against sunburn,” explains Professor Köpcke, citing a factor of p<0.01. “Moreover, we ascertained that the length of time during which β-Carotene is consumed has a clear influence on the protection provided.”

While offering less powerful and immediate protection than sunscreens, nutritional protection may therefore provide a good basis for an overall long-term anti-sunburn strategy. “A combination of β-Carotene and other anti-oxidants taken orally might be used to provide a low level of ongoing protection,” says Professor Krutmann. “This should be increased by the ad hoc topical application of sunscreens for occasions when the skin is likely to be exposed to strong sunshine for longer periods .”

Manfred Eggersdorfer, Head of R&D at DSM Nutritional Products, comments: “ These findings demonstrate our ever-growing understanding of the vital link between nutritional intake and health. It has often been said that ‘We are what we eat’. Nutritional science is increasingly demonstrating how we can influence our health and well-being by means of the nutritional choices we make .”