Spring is finally here! The days are getting longer, and we are exposed to more sunshine as the summer approaches. This is great news for those who need more vitamin D, the essential nutrient formed in the skin upon exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. But excess sun exposure also has a well-recognized downside: photo-aging.
Photo-aging is the cumulative negative effect on skin resulting from long-term exposure to sunlight, especially UV light. Premature photo-aging not only results in wrinkles and brown spots but something of greater concern, skin cancer, the most common cancer in the United States. Every day nearly 10,000 people are diagnosed with skin cancer. People of all colors and ages can get it. But when found early, skin cancer is highly treatable! And believe it or not, what you put in your mouth may protect you. More about that later in the blog. But before I get to that, here is some important information on skin cancer prevention.
May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month (i), which the American Academy of Dermatology (ii) devotes annually to raising skin cancer awareness. Knowing these key facts from the Academy can help you prevent skin cancer, find it early, and perhaps save your life:
- Stay away from indoor tanning beds.
- Protect your skin outdoors. Wear protective clothing, including a long-sleeved shirt, pants, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses with UV protection.
- Apply a water-resistant, broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher to all skin not covered by clothing.
- Perform skin self-exams. Because skin cancer begins on the skin, you can find it early.
- See the skin cancer expert, a board-certified dermatologist, if you find a spot on your skin that’s growing, bleeding, or changing in any way.
Is there anything else you can do? Yes. Eat a Mediterranean Diet! In a recent study of over 18,000 people in Spain (iii), better adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a nearly 30% reduction in risk of developing Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC). In another study of almost 100,000 French woman (iv), adherence to a Mediterranean Diet was associated with lower skin cancer risk, particularly melanoma (28% reduced risk) and BCC (22% reduced risk).
How can food ingredients protect your skin against the detrimental effects of UV rays? Here are two ways:
- They act like natural sunscreen. When ingested, polyphenols and antioxidants accumulate in the skin, absorbing both UVA and UVB rays.
- They have anti-inflammatory effects. When your skin is exposed to UV rays, the resulting redness and tenderness is a marker of inflammation. Antioxidants can reduce the damage caused by production of these pro-inflammatory “cytokines”.
But you’re probably asking: “What about the ingredients in Olivino? Can THEY protect my skin? The answer again is YES! Extracts from Olives, Grapes and Tomatoes have each been shown to protect the skin from UV damage in clinical trials, particularly lycopene, the red pigment found in tomatoes. A recent review of 21 studies (v) found that supplementation with tomato and lycopene could prevent skin photoaging. And a new study involving 50 women who took a supplement containing 15 mg of lycopene for 3 months found significant improvement in their skin tone, lines and wrinkles, pore size, and skin firmness (vi). The unique Italian olive extract in Olivino has also been clinically documented to prevent photoaging (vii). Finally, a small study published earlier this year found that consuming the equivalent of 3 servings of grapes per day (in powdered form) reduced the chance of sunburn in some people (viii), confirming an earlier human study showing that supplementing with table grape powder for 2 weeks protected against UV damage (ix).
If you are not consuming a Mediterranean Diet every day, make sure you take 2 Olivino every day for optimal skin health—especially during the sunnier times of the year. But don’t take it from me. Take it from Kate, one of our Wisconsin customers who has been taking Olivino for more than 2 years:
“...I feel great and my skin looks amazing…”
(i) May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month (aad.org)
(ii) Skin cancer (aad.org)
(iii) Mediterranean diet, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, and Pro-vegetarian dietary pattern in relation to the risk of basal cell carcinoma: a nested case-control study within the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra (SUN) cohort - PubMed (nih.gov)
(iv) Mediterranean dietary pattern and skin cancer risk: A prospective cohort study in French women - PubMed (nih.gov)
(v) The effect of tomato and lycopene on clinical characteristics and molecular markers of UV-induced skin deterioration: A systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention trials - PubMed (nih.gov)
(vi) Beauty from within: Improvement of skin health and appearance with Lycomato a tomato‐derived oral supplement (wiley.com)
(vii) Opextaneffectonskinparameters2019.pdf (ingredientsonline.com)
(viii) Antioxidants | Free Full-Text | Short-Term Grape Consumption Diminishes UV-Induced Skin Erythema (mdpi.com)
(ix) Dietary table grape protects against ultraviolet photodamage in humans: 1. clinical evaluation - Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (jaad.org)