The secret of eternal youth? Try a tomato
 
At this rate, scientists will have to come up with a better description for the tomato than mere 'superfood'.

While it has long been credited with cutting cholesterol and preventing some cancers, the fruit now appears to have two more healthgiving benefits.

Protection against sunburn and helping keep the skin looking youthful are the latest pluses, a study has found.

Professor Mark Birch-Machin said tomatoes could provide a cheap and easy way of improving health.

"I went into the study as a sceptic," he added. "But I was quite surprised with the significance of the findings."

Researchers at Manchester and Newcastle universities recommend two tomato-based meals a day for optimum health.

Possible menus include a glass of tomato juice with breakfast and a salad later or tomato soup for lunch and pasta with a tomato sauce for dinner.

To test the fruit's ability to protect the skin, ten volunteers were asked to eat five tablespoons of tomato paste mixed with olive oil every day for three months.

Another ten had a daily dose of olive oil - minus the tomato paste.

Tests using ultra-violet lamps showed the tomato-eaters were a third better protected against sunburn at the end of the study than at the start, the British Society for Investigative Dermatology's annual conference heard.

Other tests suggested the tomato-based diet had boosted production of collagen, the protein that keeps skin supple.

If that were not enough, the fruit also protects our mitochondria - the elements of cells which turn the food we eat into energy.

Professor Birch-Machin, of Newcastle University, said: "Being kind to our mitochondria is likely to contribute to improved skin health, which in turn may have an anti-ageing effect."

The researchers stressed, however, that their findings were not an excuse to throw away the suncream. Professor Lesley Rhodes, a Manchester University dermatologist, said: "People should not think tomatoes in any way can replace suncreams but they may be a good additive.

The fruit's benefits are credited to lycopene, the pigment behind its distinctive red skin.

Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant capable of mopping up free radicals - the harmful molecules linked to cancer - is made easier for the body to absorb when tomatoes are cooked or processed.
 
如果是這樣的話，恐怕科學家們得找一個比“超級食品”更合適的詞語來形容西紅柿了。

西紅柿一直以能夠降低膽固醇和預防一些癌癥而著稱，而現(xiàn)在它又多了兩個新的保健功效。

一項最新研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，西紅柿能夠增強皮膚防曬能力，并有助于保持肌膚年輕。

馬克•伯齊-麥辰教授說，西紅柿是一種簡單經(jīng)濟的保健食品。

他說：“我是抱著懷疑的態(tài)度進行這項研究的。但研究結果讓我十分驚訝。”

曼徹斯特和紐卡斯爾大學的研究人員們建議，每天吃兩頓西紅柿最有益于身體健康。

比如，早餐可以喝杯番茄汁，之后吃份沙拉或者午餐喝點西紅柿湯，晚餐吃番茄醬通心粉。

為了檢驗西紅柿的護膚功效，研究人員讓十位志愿者連續(xù)三個月每天食用五湯匙拌有橄欖油的西紅柿醬。

另外十名志愿者只吃橄欖油，不吃西紅柿醬。

使用紫外線燈的檢測結果顯示，吃西紅柿醬的那組研究對象的皮膚防曬能力在研究結束時比開始時增強了三分之一。該研究結果在英國皮膚病學研究學會的年度研討會上公布。

其他一些測試表明，含有西紅柿的食物能夠促進人體內(nèi)膠原質(zhì)的產(chǎn)生，膠原質(zhì)是一種能夠保持皮膚柔滑細膩的蛋白質(zhì)。

如果這些功效還不足以說明問題，西紅柿還可以保護我們體內(nèi)的線粒體。線粒體是一種能夠把我們攝入的食物轉化為能量的細胞因子。

紐卡斯爾大學的伯齊-麥辰教授說：“保護線粒體有助于促進皮膚健康，從而達到抗衰老的效果。”

然而，研究人員強調(diào)，這一研究結果并不是說你可以不用防曬霜了。曼徹斯特大學皮膚病學家萊斯利·羅德教授說：“認為西紅柿可以取代防曬霜的想法是錯誤的，不過西紅柿可以起到很好的補充作用。”

西紅柿的這些功效都要歸功于茄紅素，也就是那些藏在西紅柿鮮亮的紅色表皮下的色素。

茄紅素是一種能夠清除自由基的強抗氧化劑，它在西紅柿被烹制或加工后更容易被人體吸收。自由基是一種有害的致癌分子。

Vocabulary: 

at this rate:照這樣的話；如果這樣的話