8 Natural Ways to Prevent a Sunburn (and Sunscreen’s Not One of Them)by
Mark Sisson Recently by Mark Sisson: What to Eat When Traveling, On the Road, Camping, or in the Middle of the Ocean
As summer descends upon the world, a young Primal eater's fancy turns to playful frolicking in the sunshine. And when you're frolicking, the last thing you want to do is slather a bunch of horrible-smelling, greasy, overpriced sunblock all over your body. It makes you slippery and imbues your countenance with a deathly pallor that is very unbecoming. If you could, you'd love to avoid the nasty practice altogether. You'd love to use more alternative methods. Methods that may not have the support of the medical community, but for which supportive research does exist. Seeing as how a common refrain throughout the newly Primal is that sunburns seem fewer and further between than ever before, I'm guessing that there's something to it. Dietary? Supplementary? I've noticed the same thing in myself and my family, so I got to wondering: what about going Primal, exactly, might be having this effect? And if something is protecting us from the sun, and it's not just in everyone's heads, what else can we do to bolster our natural sunblock? What can we recommend to friends and family who aren't quite on board with the whole deal but still want protection from the sun? Let's take a look at some potential supplements and dietary strategies. I'll reference research as often as possible, but I'll also draw on anecdotal experience, both personal and from the community at large. Eat Some LycopeneLycopene, that famous carotenoid found in tomatoes, has been shown in a recent in vivo RCT to protect humans against sun damage. Healthy women, aged 21-47, who ate 55 g of tomato paste containing 16 mg of lycopene every day for 12 weeks experienced significant protection against acute – and potentially long term – sun damage. Remember that cooked tomatoes, and tomato products like paste and sauce, offer far more bioavailable lycopene than raw tomatoes. If you're counting, 55 grams of tomato paste is a hair over 3 tablespoons worth.
Get Some AstaxanthinThe super-antioxidant astaxanthin is found in algae, the organisms that eat it, and the organisms that eat those organisms (like salmon, shrimp, and pink flamingo – the pink/red color gives it away). It has been getting some attention as an "internal sunscreen." Does it stack up? Well, here's a study on isolated human skin cells, in which astaxanthin definitely protects against UVA damage. And here's another study on isolated skin cells showing its protective effects. But those are limited. Does the effect persist in real life settings? In other words, does ingesting astaxanthin supplements or food that contains astaxanthin offer protection from UVA? This hairless mouse study suggests that it might; astaxanthin was more effective than even retinol. I'd say it looks promising, and I'm always interested in an excuse to dine on pink flamingo thigh. Get Some Vitamin DA common anecdotal report is that supplementing vitamin D increases sun tolerance and protection against sun damage, and a recent study seems to confirm this. Various forms of the vitamin D prohormone offered various protections against UV damage in a mouse model: reduced sunburn, lowered incidence of tumor development. Huh, imagine that! Getting sun gives you vitamin D, which in turn protects you from too much sun. It's funny how these things work out. Nature can be very elegant. July 22, 2011 Copyright © 2011 Mark's Daily Apple
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