Pizza diet can prevent early wrinkles, claims UK report

Eating pizza topped with tomato paste can help prevent sunburn and premature wrinkles, new research suggests.

A study found that volunteers who ate helpings of ordinary tomato paste over a 12-week period developed skin that was less likely to burn in the sun.

They were 33% more protected against sunlight than another group who were not given tomato paste.

The effect of eating tomatoes was equivalent to slapping on a factor 1.3 sunscreen.

Changes were also seen within the skin of the volunteers that counteract the appearance of ageing.

Scientists think a powerful antioxidant in tomatoes called lycopene is responsible.

It has the ability to neutralise harmful molecules produced in skin exposed to the sun’s ultra violet (UV) rays.

Damage inflicted by these free radical molecules on skin structures and DNA can lead to premature ageing and skin cancer.

Lycopene gives tomatoes their red colouring. Previous research has shown that cooked tomatoes contain higher levels of lycopene than raw tomatoes.

Tomato paste of the sort used to make pizza toppings is made from highly concentrated cooked tomatoes and is especially rich in lycopene.

Researchers at the University of Manchester asked 10 volunteers to eat five tablespoons of tomato paste plus 10 grams of olive oil a day for 12 weeks. Another 10 people received only olive oil.

At the beginning and end of the trial, all the volunteers were exposed to UV light.

Compared with the second group, those who had eaten tomato paste were 33% less likely to burn by the second UV exposure.

The effect was about the same as applying a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) rating of 1.3, the scientists calculated.

Skin levels of procollagen, a molecule which helps the skin stay supple and young looking, were boosted by the tomato diet.

At the same time tests at the University of Newcastle showed that lycopene reduced sun damage to mitochondrial DNA in the skin – DNA contained in tiny powerplants in cells called mitochondria. Disruption of mitochondrial DNA is also associated with skin ageing.

Professor Lesley Rhodes, a dermatologist at the University of Manchester, said: “The tomato diet boosted the level of procollagen in the skin significantly. These increasing levels suggest potential reversal of the skin ageing process. This is in addition to the significant reduction in sunburn.

“These weren’t huge amounts of tomato we were feeding the group. It was the sort of quantity you would easily manage if you eating a lot of tomato-based meals.

“People should not think that tomatoes in any way can replace sun creams, but they may be a good additive. If you can improve your protection through your diet then over several years, this may have a significant effect.”

Skin expert Professor Mark Birch-Machin, from the University of Newcastle, said: “Eating tomatoes will not make you invincible in the sun, but it may be a useful addition to the sun protection tool box along with sunscreens, shade and clothing.

“The protective effect of eating tomatoes on our mitochondria is important as they are the energy producers in all our body cells including skin. Therefore being kind to our mitochondria is likely to contribute to improved skin health which in turn may have an anti-ageing effect.”

The findings were presented today at the annual meeting of the British Society of Investigative Dermatology in Oxford.

Dr Colin Holden, from the British Association of Dermatologists, said: “While the protection offered by lycopene is low, this research suggests that a diet containing high levels of antioxidant rich tomatoes could provide an extra tool in sun protection.”

The team now hopes to start a new longer-term study looking at the protective effects of lycopene on the skin.