Carotenoids Seem To Determine Skin Color, Photosensitivity

Carotenoids Seem To Determine Skin Color, Photosensitivity

BEDFORD, England--Dietary carotenoids may be responsible for providing normal skin color as well as determining how photosensitive to UV light Caucasians are, according to researchers from Bedford, England-based Colworth Laboratory who published a study in the March issue of the Journal of Nutrition (132:399-403, 2002) (www.nutrition.org). In studying 22 Caucasian subjects, researchers learned that carotenoids from a normal, unsupplemented diet accumulate in the skin, offering color and a photoprotective benefit that is directly linked to the concentration in the tissue. Carotenoids were also determined to contribute to normal skin color, in particular the appearance of "yellowness." Researchers concluded that monitoring dietary carotenoids may offer objective measurements of skin color and UV photosensitivity in Caucasian populations.