Plums can lift complexion

CONSUMERS could have a new incentive to eat fruit after a study found that eating heavily pigmented produce such as carrots and plums makes people more attractive.

Researchers at St Andrews and Bristol universities studied the relationship between skin colour and attractiveness, and found people with a yellow skin hue were perceived as particularly healthy and attractive, the Grocer magazine reported.

They also established yellow pigments, or carotenoids, from certain fruit and vegetables played a key role in producing yellowness in skin.

As part of the study, 40 volunteers rated 51 Scottish Caucasian faces for healthiness and attractiveness.

The results will be published in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour in March, the magazine said.