Do some nutrients reduce sun damage?

[Kate]

I have seen information on some websites that certain foods and supplements can actually reduce sun damage. In other words, they make the skin more resistant to the rays of the sun. One of these supplement is Astaxanthin. Dr. Mercola claims that this supplement will to some extent keep the skin from burning just like a sunscreen. What about this supplement? Are there other nutrients too that might have the same protective effect. What's the physiological mechanism that gives these nutrients a protective benefit?

[Tom Hagerty]

Dr. Todorov's website Smart Skin Care is absolutely the most informative place for advice on skin care. You asked if, "certain foods and supplements can actually reduce sun damage." The following paragraph by Dr. Todorov tells of the benefits of astaxanthin. This phytochemical is not as good as sunscreen but it's still pretty good.

Astaxanthin may have a number of skin benefits, some more proven than others. In particular, astaxanthin appears to provide some degree of sun protection through multiple mechanisms. First, it blocks a modest amount of ultraviolet light directly (not enough to be an effective sunscreen by itself but still useful). Second, it neutralizes some of the free radicals induced by UV radiation and responsible for some of the sun damage. Third, astaxanthin appears to inhibit the induction of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) by UV light. (MMP are an important factor in sun damage and skin aging.)

This is one paragraph. My suggestion is to read the whole article and many other articles on the site too. Everything a person wants to know about skin health is here and Dr. T writes about it clearly and in depth. This man does the research and presents the facts.

Not as healthy as it used to be.

Salmon.jpg (10.66 KiB) Viewed 17347 times

Salmon is rich in astaxanthin but it's also "rich" in mercury. I eat Alaska salmon but not too much.