(17-03-12) Want to be more attractive to others? Eat more fruits and veggies

by J. D. Heyes

(NaturalNews) If you have ever wondered if there was a real fountain of youth
or some deep, dark secret to lasting good looks, think about how you passed on
those fruits and veggies when you were younger that your mom kept trying to get
you to eat.

That's because, according to a new study, five portions daily of fruits and
vegetables can give your skin a glow, hence making you appear more attractive.

Scientists have discovered that the yellow-red pigmentation in produce can be
absorbed by fat deposits in skin, thus giving it a healthier hue. Researchers
at the University of St. Andrews in Great Britain found that eating just two
additional portions of fruit and veggies per day would bring about a noticeable
change in skin color within six weeks.

"Most of us know we should eat plenty of fruit and veg, yet we are not
sufficiently motivated to actually go ahead and eat a healthy diet," Ross
Whitehead, who led the research, said, according to the Daily Telegraph.

"We hope that by highlighting the rapidly achievable benefits of a healthy
diet on our attractiveness will be a stronger incentive for people to eat more
healthily," he continued. "Knowing you are going to look more attractive in a
few weeks may be more persuasive than the promise of health benefits later in
life."

Additional testing found that folks who ate large helpings of produce
regularly were rated more attractive than people who only ate small amounts.

And while the study didn't necessarily prove any additional health benefits -
over and above those that are already known about consuming fruits and
vegetables as part of a healthy diet - the findings were sure to "feed" our
vanity, which is likely to be enough for some folks to change their eating
habits.

Building on the research

This study isn't the first one that has tied the consumption of produce to
having a better overall appearance.

In 2009, researchers from St. Andrews and Bristol universities first discussed
the cosmetic benefits of fruits and vegetables.

"This discovery is very exciting and has given us a promising lead into cues
to health," said Prof. David Perrett, from the perception laboratory at St.
Andrews University.

"The only natural way in which we can make our skin lighter and more yellow is
to eat a more healthy diet high in fruit and vegetables," he added. "What we
eat and not just how much we eat appears to be important for a healthy
appearance."

Then, as now, Dr. Ian Stephen from Bristol University, a study co-author,
recommended eating five portions of fruits and vegetables per day.

"It is really the same message about health eating, but just for different
reasons, for your skin tone, instead of for other health benefits," he said.

Slightly flushed appearances, indicating more oxygen in the blood, also
portray health, the researchers said.

Spotting a trend

The 2009 research was confirmed a few years later, in 2011, when scientists
from both universities said that eating carrots and plums can make you more
attractive, again because carotenoids in certain produce can give your skin a
glowing, yellow hue.

Stephen said telling people that eating more healthy fruits and vegetables
could make them look better could be a better strategy than talking to them
about the gloom-and-doom aspect of an unhealthy diet.

"Telling people they might have a heart attack in 40 years' time if they don't
eat more healthily is one thing. What we can do is say, 'This is what you could
look in a couple of months if you increased your fruit and veg intake,'" he
said.

Besides just looking better and healthier, people who eat more produce can
actually be healthier because such foods contain powerful antioxidants which
help the body to fight disease, researchers say.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

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In evidenza

"L'informazione presente nel sito serve a migliorare, e non a sostituire, il rapporto medico-paziente."

Per coloro che hanno problemi di salute si consiglia di consultare sempre il proprio medico curante.