Sunscreen Alternative: Nutritional Approaches to Preventing Sunburn and Skin Aging

By Andrew Larson, MD, FACS, FASMBS

As a south Florida native I have always loved being in the sun. I can’t help but think I look better with a bit of a tan but most importantly the sun really does make me feel better. I spent a good portion of my life up north in college, medical school and surgical residency and I dreaded the winters…not just because of the cold, but the lack of sun really did negatively affect the way I felt. Even though I am now back in sunny Florida my busy work schedule doesn’t permit me as much “sun time” as I would like, but the small amount of sun I do get absolutely makes a big difference in the way I feel and I am convinced  it improves my health on many levels.

Sunny News!

We now know there are significant health benefits associated with higher levels of vitamin D intake or production than was previously thought to be optimal. Vitamin D can be made by your own body so long as there is at least a modest amount of exposure to the sun, far less than what is needed to risk developing an unwanted tan or suffer from solar aging. Many of us are therefore appropriately making more of an effort to obtain at least modest sun exposure.

The problem is that in warmer latitudes where the sun is bright even modest sun exposure can be too much for those of us with fair skin. It’s easy enough to say “Just go back inside,” but many of us have to spend time outside for longer than we would like for work or personal obligations…washing the car and watching my son play football and lacrosse comes to mind. Sure, sunscreens are an option but I personally have never been particularly fond of lathering any sort of cream on my body or face not to mention the fact many sunscreens contain ingredients I believe can actually be harmful. And, since many of us are only in the sun for a little while at a time SPF 50 sun-blockers may be excessive and even counterproductive if your goal is to optimize vitamin D production for good health. The question is, does a safe and natural sunscreen alternative exist?

A Safe & Edible Sunscreen Alternative

A couple years ago I noticed my skin take on a little bit more color than usual after changing my diet to include greens smoothies and more vegetables in general…in particular I was eating more carrots, two or three raw carrots almost every day with lunch, and more tomatoes, a sliced tomato salad with balsamic vinaigrette most days for dinner and a green smoothie either at breakfast or prior to dinner plus a green salad nightly.  Interestingly, after increasing my vegetable consumption I noticed that I tended to sunburn less, tan better (perhaps the tan color mixed with the innate carotenoid hue in a pleasing way), and could spend more time outside without having to put on my shirt or apply sunscreen.

Does the Medical Literature Support Food as a Sunscreen Alternative?

The question then arose to me was I imagining this benefit or is there real research to support nutritional approaches to sun protection? The answer is that nature and natural foods do provide protection. What is more some of this protection can be obtained in supplement form, too! Substances proven to reduce sun damage and provide protection from sunburn include flavonoids, carotenoids, tocopherols and tocotrienols, and omega-3 fatty acids. All of these substances have been proven to be orally bioavailable for this purpose, meaning you can take them by mouth and levels will rise in your skin where they do their work.

Of these substances omega-3 fatty acids seem to have the most research behind them with human studies showing an approximate 35 percent increase in the amount of time it takes sunlight to redden the skin. While it is possible to get this protection from foods such as walnuts, flax, fish, and shrimp, omega-3 fatty acids should probably be supplemented as best results occur at doses as high as 4 grams daily. EPA alone or EPA and DHA together are effective. There is strong but not yet conclusive evidence that omega-3 fatty acids can prevent skin cancer, too. Equally as powerful protection is provided by the phytochemicals mentioned earlier.

One study showed that while alpha-tocopherol (standard vitamin E found in cheap vitamin pills) was somewhat helpful mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols were far more helpful…it’s best to get these nutrients from foods naturally rich in vitamin E like almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, spinach, mango, papaya, and collard greens because high quality broad spectrum vitamin E supplements are hard to find (however, I recently learned about and have started taking a multi-vitamin/ multi-mineral / probiotic and omega-3 “strip” that is one of the very few products on the market that contains natural vitamin E from mixed tochopherols and tocotrienols in addition to 1,000 IU vitamin D plus probiotics and omega-3’s)

Another study showed the flavanols in high quality chocolate (not conventional mass market chocolate) and in cocoa beans more than doubled the length of time necessary to develop a sunburn (my wife, Ivy, who loves chocolate, was especially pleased to hear about this study!)

Yet another study showed that tomato extract provided about a 40 percent increase in the length of time necessary to develop reddening of the skin. Synthetic lycopene supplements did help also but only by about 25 percent. The assumption is that the mixture of carotenoids in natural tomato products is more effective as an antioxidant than isolated lycopene alone.

The Bottom Line

In conclusion, there is strong evidence fruit, vegetables, and omega-3 fatty acids do provide protection against skin damage from the sun while also providing a myriad of other health benefits. However, if you plan on being in the sun for an extended period of time I don’t necessarily think you should rely on food-only as a sunscreen alternative, but using sunscreen and eating foods that have been shown to protect against sun damage is not an either / or decision! You can….and should…do both.

The next time I go out on the boat I’m packing mango slices and a tomato and spinach sandwich. Ivy will bring the cocoa nibs and we’ll both continue to take our high quality multi-vitamin and fish oil supplements. And while I might not wear sunscreen every day when I know I’m only going to get 10 minutes of sun here and there (such as going into and out of my office) I will put on a sunscreen when I’m out boating, on the lacrosse field or washing the car.

P.S. Stay tuned for a follow up article from an expert beauty consultant on how to choose the best sunscreens.