Editor’s Note: A post by Alexandra Sifferlin at Time.com’s Healthland reports on a study out of the University of St. Andrews which found an increase in consumption of fruits and vegetables will likely convey noticeable improvements in the apparent healthiness and attractiveness of facial skin.
Researchers tracked the fruit and vegetable consumption of 35 people over a six-week period and found that higher intake was associated with perceptible changes to skin color. As participants ate more fruits and veggies, their skin tone looked healthier — and were judged to be more attractive.
Specifically, participants eating more fruits and vegetables saw increases in red and yellow tones in their skin. The researchers attribute the color change to the carotenoids in produce, the compounds that give plants their pigmentation. The study looked at two carotenoids in particular: beta-carotene, which gives carrots their orange color and is also found in yams, peaches, pumpkin, apricots and spinach; and lycopene, which adds a reddish hue to peppers, tomatoes, watermelon, apricots and pink grapefruits.
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