sun
Despite high-profile government awareness campaigns, a survey of 5,000 adults has revealed that 60% of people admit to suffering sun burn in the past year and over a quarter (27%) to not using any sun cream at all while in the sun. In addition, a worrying 8% of people admit that they purposely stay in the sun for “too long” to get a tan, despite the potential damage high exposure to sun can have on their skin.
While the importance of topical sun protection is widely known, experts increasingly believe that diet can also play a crucial role in limiting the effects of the sun. For example, a daily selenium supplementation has recently been proven to protect skin against sun damage, after only 28 days.
Antioxidants, such as selenium, play a crucial role in repelling and reversing sun damage as they neutralise harmful substances in the body called free radicals, which have the potential to damage cells and interrupt many body processes.
Selenium is a mineral which occurs naturally in the soil and is obtained from foods including cereals and Brazil nuts. Dietary guidelines for selenium recommend that men should consume 75 micrograms and women 60 micrograms of the mineral per day. Yet Selenium is at such low levels in British soil that the population currently consumes around half of this recommended amount.
You can help to increase your sun safety this summer by increasing your selenium intake with Wassen Selenium-ACE. Selenium-ACE, which contains the essential trace mineral selenium along with vitamins A, C and E is priced at around £10 and is available from Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, independent pharmacies and health food stores.
Tagged in Health