People tend to be exposed to Sun for many hours at the time of summer, something that can be detrimental to the Health, to the point of leading to the appearance of skin cancer. While some micronutrients such as vitamin C wave Vitamin A they act as skin protectors.
It is normal that during the summer months people go to the beach and sunbathe. However, society must become more and more aware of the importance of exposing oneself to the sun moderately and not falling into excesses.
Moderate exposure generates benefits such as increased synthesis of vitamin D, but prolonged and unprotected exposure can be detrimental to health and the main risk factor for the development of skin cancer.
Vitamin A and skin cancer
Vitamin A is a micronutrient with important benefits for the skin and a recent study has concluded that this micronutrient may contain effective properties to reduce the risk of developing skin cancer throughout life.
The study was carried out in the Brown university, in United States. Thus, the researchers associated the intake of vitamin A with a considerably lower risk of a common type of skin cancer, known as squamous cell carcinoma.
According to the experts who participated in this study, squamous cell carcinoma is a type of skin cancer that up to 11% of Americans can develop at some point in their life.
This study was published in the prestigious journal ‘JAMA Dermatology’. It describes that increased consumption of vitamin A could reduce the chances of developing this type of skin cancer by up to 15%.
With all this, one of the main authors of the study, Eunyoung Cho, states that “these findings add another reason to have a healthy diet with fruits and vegetables. Vitamin A from plant sources is safe.
One of the great virtues of vitamin A is that it helps maintain healthy skin cells and helps them to regenerate properly. Therefore, it could be one of the beneficial effects to reduce the risk of skin cancer.
However, in any case, even if a person follows a variable diet rich in vitamin A and vitamin C, the use of sunscreen when exposing oneself to the sun’s ultraviolet rays is still essential. What’s more, sunscreen is the best ally to prevent skin-related health conditions.
Benefits of vitamin A for the skin
Vitamin A is essential for healthy skin. Luckily, it is found in a wide variety of foods, from fruits and vegetables to different types of meat or fish. Beef liver or carrot are two of the foods with the highest amount of this vitamin.
In this sense, having adequate values of this micronutrient in the body generates positive effects on the skin due to its antioxidant power, better wound healing, has an anti-inflammatory effect and regulates cell growth.