Page 60 - Lady Bass Anglers Digital Magazine July 2023

AVOIDING THE BURN

No one likes to get a sunburn, but as anglers, we are in the sun a lot to say the least. We hear a lot about
covering as much us our skin as possible and using sunscreen to address sunburn. Did you know that there
are some foods we can eat that can help us? Surprisingly,
or maybe not most of us don’t consider or realize that there
are foods we can eat that help boost our bodies natural sun
protection factors.

All living things get power from the sun’s energy. In people,
the sun increases our vitamin D levels and helps maintain
proper cortisol levels and circadian rhythms. Yes, the down-
side to the sun’s energy is that exposure to the UV rays is
the primary cause of cancer.

You have probably heard of the SPF (sun protective factor) of sun screens and even clothing lines. Well, you
might be surprised to know that some foods contain carotenoids. First, you may be asking what a carotenoid
is. These are tetraterpene pigments, which exhibit yellow, orange, red and purple colors. This should bring to
mind things like carrots, squash, pumpkins, peppers and even egg yolks. There is evidence that just a half-
cup of carotenoid rich foods per day can make a difference in your skin’s
natural ability to protect you from the sun. It should be noted that you ab-
sorb more of the phytochemical through cooked foods than through the raw
form of those sources.

“In a 12 week study, daily intake of 8-16 milligrams (mg) of lycopene from
either food (there is about 8 mg of lycopene in 1 cup of cooked tomatoes
according to a study from Rutgers) or supplements, helped reduce the
intensity of skin redness following exposure to UV rays by 40% to 50%.”
Lycopene is the carotenoid that gives many fruits and vegetables their red
color.

The polyphenol found in red grapes known as resveratrol has been
cited in several studies as increasing the body’s SPF. Resveratrol
possesses antitumor action and is a likely candidate for treatment
and prevention several types of cancer. It also is able to inhibit all
carcinogenesis stages (e.g., initiation, promotion and progressio)
and has the added benefit of display chemotherapeutic properties
linked to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, pro-apoptosis and an-
ti-proliferative actions. In a small human study published in 2022, it
was found that one-third of all volunteers had greater resistence to
UV radiation after consuming a grape powder equivalent to three servings of grapes (about 2 1/4 cups) per
day for two weeks.

Considering this information, what better cool snack sto have on the boat than strawberries, oranges, baby
carrots, watermelon cubes, and seedless red grapes. These help with hydration, caloric intake, and helping

60 Lady Bass Anglers Association Avoiding the Burn