Can eating more tomatoes help whiten your skin? Tomato: I can’t do that~

gossip

Tomatoes are a common food in our daily life. They are delicious whether eaten raw, cooked or made into soup. More importantly, tomatoes have certain nutritional value, so they are loved by people. In addition to their edible value, some people believe that tomatoes are rich in vitamin C and eating more can whiten your skin. Is this statement correct?

The truth may disappoint some netizens.

analyze

Are tomatoes high in vitamin C?

Tomatoes taste sweet and sour, so many people believe that eating them can supplement vitamin C. They also believe that taking vitamin C can have a whitening effect.

The truth is not like this!

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There are two reasons:

① The vitamin C content of tomatoes is not high, only 14 mg/100 g. [1] This content is not rich among vegetables. It is less than half of the vitamin C content of Chinese cabbage and only 11% of the vitamin C content of bell pepper.

Some varieties of tomatoes have a relatively high vitamin C content. For example, Chuntao persimmon has the highest vitamin C content, up to 34.17 mg/100 g, followed by Dandong 409 and Xiaohuangfei, both with contents greater than 25 mg/100 g. [2] However, if stored improperly, the vitamin C content will drop significantly. However, tomatoes are sweet and sour and are relatively easy to eat.

② It is rumored that vitamin C can whiten the skin. This is related to the antioxidant properties of vitamin C. Vitamin C can inhibit the activity of tyrosinase, which is the catalyst for the conversion of tyrosine to melanin and the main rate-limiting enzyme in the melanin production process. After vitamin C inhibits its activity, it can reduce the darker oxidized pigment to the lighter reduced pigment, inhibiting the formation of melanin, which has the so-called whitening effect. [3]

However, this is only for external use, and it does not mean that eating foods rich in vitamin C can also whiten the skin. Similarly, some people think that tomatoes are rich in glutathione, so they can whiten the skin. This is mainly for external use. There is no reliable evidence that eating foods rich in glutathione can whiten the skin.

Therefore, considering the above two reasons, don’t count on eating tomatoes if you want to whiten your skin!

What are the outstanding nutrients of tomatoes?

Although tomatoes are not good at supplementing vitamin C, they are rich in lycopene, and the more mature the tomato, the higher the lycopene content. For example, the lycopene content in vegetables such as carrots and pumpkins is about 0.1~1.5mg/kg, while the lycopene content in fresh ripe tomatoes is generally 31~37mg/kg. [4]

The lycopene content in tomato products may be even higher. For example, the lycopene content in tomato juice and tomato sauce is approximately 93 to 290 mg/kg, depending on the concentration and production method. [4]

What is the use of lycopene?

Lycopene has antioxidant properties. Our bodies cannot synthesize lycopene on their own, so we can only obtain it from food. Intake of lycopene can not only help us fight inflammation, enhance the body's ability to resist oxidative stress, and improve immunity; it can also protect cardiovascular health and help lower serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (bad cholesterol). Increased serum lycopene concentrations are negatively correlated with collagenase N-terminal peptide (a marker of bone resorption), which can reduce the risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. [4, 5]

In addition, although there is no evidence that eating tomatoes can whiten the skin, some studies have shown that daily intake of a certain amount of tomato paste can significantly reduce the incidence of sunburn in women and has a certain skin photoprotective effect. It can help prevent ultraviolet damage caused by long-term outdoor sunlight exposure and reduce damage to deep skin tissues. [4, 5]

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How can we better absorb lycopene?

Although tomatoes are rich in lycopene, an ingredient that is good for health, its absorption in the human body is affected by many factors.

The chemical structure of natural lycopene is trans-configuration, while our human body can better absorb and utilize cis-configuration. If you want to convert trans-configuration lycopene into cis-configuration, you must pay attention to the way of consumption.

It is best to cook and heat it with oil before eating. This is because: heat processing can convert part of the natural lycopene's trans structure into a cis structure, and the lipids in the food matrix can promote the release of lycopene. Lycopene that has been heat-treated with oil is easier to absorb than unprocessed lycopene. [4]

If you just like to eat tomatoes raw, chew them carefully when eating. The mechanical action can also promote the release of lycopene from the cell matrix. At the same time, eat some foods rich in high-quality fats, such as nuts.

Eating too many tomatoes will turn your skin orange/red

Some people may say: Since lycopene is good for health and tomatoes are high in this ingredient, just eat more.

Wait a minute!

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First of all, eating too many tomatoes will inevitably affect the intake of other foods and may increase the risk of malnutrition.

Secondly, although eating too much lycopene will not cause poisoning, if you don’t want your skin to turn orange or red, don’t eat tomatoes every day. This is because excessive intake of lycopene can cause lycopeneemia, which is mainly manifested by the skin turning orange or red. [4]

However, this is not a disease and does not harm your health. The symptom will gradually disappear after you stop consuming lycopene for a period of time, just like when we eat too many carrots and our skin turns orange for a period of time.

in conclusion

Eating tomatoes has no whitening effect!

Vitamin C can whiten your skin when used externally, but this does not mean that eating foods rich in vitamin C can also whiten your skin. Moreover, the vitamin C content in tomatoes is not rich among vegetables.

References:

[1] Yang Yuexin. Chinese Food Composition Table 6th Edition Volume 1[M]. Peking University Medical Press, 2018

[2] Wei Chunyan, Liu Xiaoxiao, Fan Huimei, Ma Hong. Effect of packaging methods on vitamin C content of different varieties of tomato fruits during storage [J]. Chinese Food and Nutrition, 2018, 24(08): 35-38.

[3] Xu Tianhua, Li Yuanhong, Zhu Xia, Jiang Lili, Gao Xinghua, Chen Hongduo. Clinical study on the whitening and wrinkle-removing efficacy and safety of L-ascorbic acid[J]. Chinese Journal of Aesthetic Medicine, 2009, 18(12): 1799-1801.

[4] Chen Jinyao, Zhang Lishi. Research progress on biological effects and applications of lycopene[J]. Journal of Health Research, 2013, 42(02): 336-342. DOI: 10.19813/j.cnki.weishengyanjiu.2013.02.040.

[5]Qiao Qiang. Research progress on the health function of lycopene and its application[J]. Modern Food, 2022, 28(13): 20-22.DOI:10.16736/j.cnki.cn41-1434/ts.2022.13.004.

Author: Xue Qingxin, registered nutritionist

Review｜Han Hongwei, Researcher at the National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center

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