You've probably been told that carrots are good for your eyes — and they are! But you may have also heard that eating too many carrots can turn your skin orange. While this is possible if you make like a rabbit and eat carrots almost exclusively, it's unlikely to happen just from incorporating these healthy veggies into a balanced diet. In fact, carrots and many other vegetables contain antioxidants called carotenoids that can actually improve the tone of your skin and protect it from damage.
Two carotenoids in particular, lutein and zeaxanthin, were the subject of a study published in the journal Clinical, Cosmetic, and Investigational Dermatology. The researchers conducted a 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to see the effects of these antioxidants on the skin of 50 healthy participants. All of them received either a supplement with 10 mg of lutein and 2 mg of zeaxanthin isomers or a placebo every day over the course of the study.
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The researchers found that both skin tone and luminance increased significantly in the group that received the supplement compared to the placebo group. Because these carotenoids filter blue light, they can offer protection from environmental damage, and they also decrease inflammatory cytokines in the body. Inflammation can decrease your natural glow, and we all know how sun damage can affect the skin's appearance!
There are a few ways you can harness the power of these carotenoids to improve your skin tone. You can — and should — eat plenty of vegetables that contain them, like carrots, kale, and broccoli. But, of course, you don't want to eat so many carrots that you turn orange! Neon isn't the type of glow we're going for. So you may want to look for them in supplement form as well.
Because these carotenoids are also great for your eyes, it's easy to find them in existing products designed to protect your peepers.
Advanced Vision Formula, for instance, is one such supplement. It contains 10 mg of lutein and 3 mg of zeaxanthin, so you'll be getting even more of these antioxidants than were used in the study. And it will, of course, help protect your eyes as well.
To your health, naturally,
Janet Zand
Source:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27785083.