Eating tomatoes, an easy way to reduce the risk of skin cancer

The taste of tomatoes is sour and fresh, making this vegetable which is often considered a fruit very suitable to be used as a salad mixture or drunk fresh as juice. Not only that, this orange vegetable has many benefits, one of which can reduce the risk of skin cancer. How can? Check out this article.

The nutritional content in tomatoes can reduce the risk of skin cancer

According to research conducted by Ohio State University, tomatoes can reduce the risk of skin cancer. Research that has been published in the journal Scientific Reports This explains how tomatoes can protect you from skin cancers such as squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma. These types of skin cancer can occur due to accumulated sun exposure.

Using sunscreen that can protect the skin from UVA and UVB rays can indeed help reduce the risk of developing keratinocyte carcinoma. But since the Surgeon General's Call to Action in the United States has called on to prevent skin cancer, researchers are working even harder to find ways to reduce the risk of skin cancer.

Research conducted by Ohio State University shows that the risk of cancer is reduced by 50 percent due to tomato intake. This research was conducted on male rats that were given 10 percent tomato powder every day for 35 weeks.

These mice were then exposed to ultraviolet light. The result was a 50 percent reduction in the risk of skin cancer compared to the group of mice who did not get tomato intake.

Why can tomatoes reduce the risk of skin cancer? The content of carotenoids, which are pigments that give color to tomatoes, can protect the skin from exposure to ultraviolet rays. These carotenoids are stored in human skin after you eat tomatoes, and are able to protect your skin against UV damage.

The main role of the carotenoid content in tomatoes is believed to play a role is lycopene. But lycopene does not stand alone, as proven in other studies, researchers found differences when lycopene was given in the form of whole tomatoes compared to synthesized supplements.

This research has also been carried out in human trials. Participants who consumed tomato paste for 12 weeks showed increased protection from the sun by 33 percent.

What is the solution to protect skin from UV rays?

The skin will burn if it is exposed to the sun for too long and without protection. Not only a matter of beauty, sunlight can also increase the risk of developing skin cancer. One way to avoid the bad effects of the sun is by wearing sunscreen appropriately.

By wearing sunscreen properly, the skin will be protected from the dangers of sunlight which can trigger the production of melanin, the pigment that determines the skin, which can darken the skin. Actually, using sunscreen SPF 15 is sufficient. Higher SPF levels are only for those with very white skin, born to families with a history of skin cancer or lupus.

Use sunscreen every time you do your activities outside the house, especially at 10:00 to 14:00. Use sunscreen whether it's hot or cloudy. When it is cloudy, it turns out that UV rays can penetrate the clouds. Apply sunscreen 15 minutes or 30 minutes before doing activities in the sun.

Apply about two tablespoons of sunscreen all over your body (not too little). And the most important thing is to use sunscreen repeatedly every two hours. Use it more often if you sweat or swim.

If you don't do the methods above, then the chances of your skin burning even though you have used sunscreen are very likely.

And lastly, no matter how thick the sunscreen you use, it can't completely protect you from sunburn. The skin still has the potential to become darker, burnt and even develop skin cancer. Therefore, apart from using sunscreen, it must be added with other protection, such as wearing glasses, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, using an umbrella, or wearing long clothes.