London: A new research has found that eating particular fruits and vegetables daily, such as blueberries, kale and spinach can help one’s skin build up a natural barrier to the sun’s harmful rays.
Scientists have discovered that certain pigment-rich fruits and vegetables, which includes Blackcurrants, Blueberries, Blackberries, Black grapes, Figs, Oranges, Butternut squash, Dark green peppers, Kale and Spinach, have special compounds that can help protect skin from harmful UV rays.
Researchers have placed an SPF value on diets, known as a Continual Dietary-Sun Protection Factor (CD-SPF) and said that CD-SPF could be a useful tool alongside appropriate sun cream use in achieving healthy skin all year round.
Dermatologist Iaisha Ali said that a form of base SPF from dietary and supplement sources would provide a degree of protection during relatively short sun cream-free times when invaluable Vitamin D production takes place naturally.
Scientists also found that to obtain SPF10 from diet alone, one would need to consume a portion of kale and almost a kilo of black seedless grapes daily and while eating these “super” foods contributes to protection from the sun’s harmful rays, very few people actually eat enough of them on a daily basis to achieve a base level CD- SPF through diet alone.