Nature's Sunscreens

Want to maximize your protection from the sun's UV (ultraviolet) rays? Why wouldn't you when more and more people are getting skin cancer? Man has provided us with a large assortment of sunscreens to choose from, and researchers have confirmed that sunscreen can also be found in certain foods and in a plant called seabuckthorn. Based on these findings, I'd say Mother Nature is doing a good job of being a caring mom, so why not take advantage of it? Sunscreen is no longer an option - it has become a necessity. A combination of manmade sunscreen and the sunscreen Mother Nature has supplied us with can offer us greater protection against the damaging effects of the sun that are the cause of aging skin and deadly skin cancer. All we need to do is apply them accordingly. These natural sunscreens are within your reach, and their names have been put upon this page to make you aware of their power.

A carotene called lycopene (found in tomatoes and other red fruits) offers protection from ultraviolet light. Watermelon, apricots and red grapefruit all can reduce sunburn. If you want to strengthen your resistance to sun damage, eat foods that are rich in carotenoids. Fruits and veggies that are orange, red, or yellow contain carotene.

Green vegetables containing lutein and zeaxanthin also act as natural sunscreens. Lutein and zeaxanthin found in green vegetables are powerful antioxidants (antioxidants help bring cells that are pre-cancerous to a normal state) that protect your eyes as well as your skin when consumed.

Omega-3 oils found in cold water fish (especially salmon) offer sunburn protection as well.

A potent antioxidant beverage that I've been drinking on a regular basis for quite some time is green tea. Green tea contains a high amount of flavonoids, and flavoinoids play an important role in skin health. According to Linda Page's Eleventh Edition of Healthy Healing, green tea was researched in Japan and the findings showed that when people in their study drank large quantities of green tea they exhibited little incidence of skin cancer, stomach, and lung cancer. Also in Linda Page's Eleventh Edition of Healthy Healing is a finding from a Rutgers University study that green tea (when consumed prior and while exposed to ultraviolet rays) gave favorable results against cancer of the skin.

A favorite antioxidant of mine (one that German researchers claim protects the skin from the harmful effects of the sun) is chocolate. What works best is dark chocolate that is rich in flavonoids. In the study performed, the amount of flavonoids in the cocoa consumed by the participants was almost equivalent to the amount of flavonoids in a little more than three ounces of dark chocolate.

One other antioxidant containing food worth mentioning is pomegranate. Pomegranate is also rich in flavonoids. An experiment performed using pomegranate fruit extract on epidermal cells proved to inhibit pre-cancerous changes when skin was exposed to ultraviolet light.

Seabuckthorn (a plant with 180 plus nutrients) was researched in China. Seabuckthorn oil was found effective for protection from the sun when applied to the skin.

When you're talking about skin cancer, protection against the damaging effects of UV light is foremost. Protect your skin every way you can. It's better to be safe than sorry. Skin cancer can be fatal.

Sources:

Based on information in : San Francisco Chronicle, 2-18-98; Health, July/August 1997; science News, 6-21-97; The New York Times, 2-18-98, "Do Sunscreens Cause Cancer?" (http://www.garynull.com/Documents/spectrum/do_sunscreens_cause_cancer.htm

Maggie Vink, "How to eat your sunscreen." (http://www.thatsfit.com/2007/06/11/how-to-eat-your-sunscreen/

Jean Carper, "Sunscreens in your food." (http://www.usaweekend.com/06_issues/060723/060723thinksmart.html)

Janet Raloff, "Chocolate as Sunscreen." (http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060610/food.asp)

Linda Page's Healthy Healing, All New Eleventh Edition

December 06, 2005 Health News, "Cosmetic Breakthrough In the Fight Against Acne, Rosacea, Eczema and Psoriasis." (http://www.prleap.com/pr/20773/)