Further Evidence for Sun Protection with Lycopene

21/02/07 Dr. Yossi Levy, Professor of Clinical Biochemistry at Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel, will represent LycoRed Corp. at the Cosmeceutical Summit on February 22nd, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Dr. Levy will present new findings from two studies that show that oral consumption of carotenoids from tomato (lycopene, phytoene, phytofluene) helps maintain healthy skin by protecting it against UV induced damage.

"Topical application of the currently available sun care products provides limited protection against UV light, because no matter how good the products are, some of the light still penetrates deep into the skin causing damage and wrinkling.” says Dr. Levy. In order to provide optimal protection it is important not only to apply sun care products containing UVB & UVA filters but also to supplement the diet with natural antioxidants, particularly, the tomato lycopene complex Lyc-O-Mato. Emphasizing the importance of daily supplementation, Dr. Levy explains “Recent data shows that it only takes brief, repetitive sun exposure from daily tasks, such as walking to the car or mailbox, to initiate skin damage.”

The first study discussed by Dr. Levy was conducted by O. Aust, W. Stahl and H. Sies at University of Düsseldorf, Germany. It examined the photo-protective effects of both natural Lyc-O-Mato and synthetic lycopene. Both effected a decrease in the reddening of the skin of the participants indicating protection from UV induced damage. However the group that ingested synthetic lycopene showed only a 25% reduction in redness, whereas the Lyc-O-Mato afforded superior protection with a 38% reduction.

The second study, conducted by U.Heinrich, H. Tronnier and W. Stahl, at the Universities of Witten/Herdecke and Düsseldorf, in Germany, involved 3 groups of participants. Two different antioxidant supplements containing carotenoids and selenium were tested for their impact on skin structure and health.  Groups 1 and 2 received different levels of a mixture of lycopene, lutein, beta carotene, alpha tocopherol and selenium. Group 3, the control group, received a placebo. After 12 weeks, participants in Groups 1 and 2 both showed a significant increase in skin density and thickness, improvement in skin smoothness and softness and reduced scaling. There was no improvement in the placebo group.