It has long been known that tomatoes possess many health benefits. Whether you eat them raw in salads and sandwiches, or cooked and processed into soups, purees, pastes and sauces, the good news just keeps on coming.

We’ve heard about their effect in preventing various types of cancer, of prostate and the skin, and the humble fruit’s use against heart disease and stroke. Now it’s a great cosmetic too.

The benefits are credited to lycopene, the pigment behind the distinctive red skin and a powerful antioxidant.

Professor Birch-Machin, of Newcastle University believes tomatoes are a cheap and simple way of improving health and looking good.

After a joint study by Manchester and Newcastle universities, he said, “I went into the study as a sceptic, but I was quite surprised with the significance of the findings.”

The British Society for Investigative Dermatology’s annual conference was told that tests using ultra-violet lamps showed that tomato-eaters were a third better protected against sunburn at the end of the study than at the start. Other tests suggested a tomato-based diet boosted production of collagen, the protein that keeps skin supple.

Tomatoes also protect the mitochondria, the parts of cells that turn food we eat into energy. “Being kind to our mitochondria is likely to contribute to improved skin health, which in turn may have an anti-ageing effect,” Professor Birch-Machin said.

The researchers now recommend two tomato-based meals a day for optimum health.

In a previous article we discussed the benefits of Vitamin D, the Sunshine Vitamin. The most effective way to get Vitamin D is through exposure to sunlight. We are also well aware of the dangers of over-exposure to sunlight and the increased risk of skin cancer.

But now researchers at Stanford University are saying a little Vitamin D-generating sunlight may be just the prescription for melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer.

UVB rays cause Vitamin D3 to be generated in the skin. Through contact with various enzymes in the liver and kidneys, the body turns D3 into an active compound that signals T-cells to migrate to the skin’s epidermis where they stand on guard against infection and even cancer.

Although sunlight is still considered to be the most avoidable cause of skin cancer, it appears that getting the right amount of light could actually strengthen the immune system. However, avoiding intense sun is still recommended.

“So, avoiding intense sun, protecting yourself when you’re out in intense sun — that’s still our [cancer society] recommendation, and this is not going to change that,” said Martin Weinstock, chairman of the skin advisory group of the American Cancer Society and professor of dermatology and community health at Brown University.

A Little Sun Might Shield Against Skin Cancer

Anyone can get skin cancer but your risk increases with age and with the years spent unprotected from the damaging UVB rays of the sun. A good habit to fall into is regularly examining your skin for the signs of skin cancer.

Watch for changes in the skin. Not every spot or change means skin cancer but examine your skin regularly for new spots or changes and have any suspicious skin area checked out by a doctor. Although you cannot always detect skin cancers, you can be aware and report changes in skin to your healthcare provider.

The most serious form of skin cancer is melanoma. Know the A D C D’s of spotting melanoma:

* A: Asymmetry — one half is unlike the other half.

* B: Border irregular — scalloped or poorly circumscribed border.

* C: Color varied from one area to another; shades of tan and brown; black; sometimes white, red or blue.

* D: Diameter larger than the diameter of a pencil eraser.

If you see any of the warning signs of melanoma, consult your doctor immediately.

For more information on skin cancers and how to do a self-exam, go to:

this site.

For illustrations of the ABCD’s of melanoma, go to:

this site.