Carotenoids Show Synergistic Protection against UV Damage

ROME—Xanthophyllic carotenoids administered orally and topically had synergistic effects in protecting the skin from ultraviolet (UV) radiation (Skin Pharmacol Physiol, 20, 4:199-210, 2007). In a double blind, placebo-controlled trial at St. Eugenio Hospital, Rome, researchers examined the efficacy of lutein and zeaxanthin on five skin physiology parameters—surface lipids, hydration, photoprotective activity, skin elasticity and skin lipid peroxidation—in human subjects. Carotenoids were administered orally, topically or in combination of oral and topical routes. At study’s end, researchers found the combination of oral and topical administration provided the greatest degree of antioxidant protection, although both also provided significant activity in the skin when administered through a single route. Oral administration of lutein was found to be more protective than topical application when measured by changes in lipid peroxidation and photoprotective activity in the skin following UV light irradiation.