Healthy "Skin Glow" from Fruit and Vegetable Intake

In many places tanned, or high-melanin, skin is considered attractive. Recently a study was conducted in the UK that suggests diets high in carotenoids produce a “healthy glow” that is also considered attractive. In the study researchers did three different comparisons with subjects. In the first, they created 27 digital images of faces. Two versions of each face were created. One with high-melanin skin and one with low-melanin skin. Participants were asked to rate which face color was “more attractive”. 78.5% of participants said the high-melanin skin faces were “more attractive”. A second group of participants were asked to compare high-carotenoid skin with low-carotenoid skin faces. 86% of participants found the high-carotenoid skin “more attractive”. Finally, high-melanin skin faces were compared to high-carotenoid faces and it was found 75.9% of participants found high-carotenoid skin faces “more attractive”. Not everyone finds the same traits attractive but this study does suggest that high-carotenoid skin is seen as attractive. Foods with orange or yellow color are contain carotenoids such as, sweet potatoes, carrots, apricots, oranges, mangoes, etc. This study does not suggest levels of carotenoids that should be consumed in the diet and rather focuses on the attractiveness of skin pigmentation. While more research needs to be done on this subject before recommendations are made by health professionals, it does support that consuming a healthy diet affects the whole body.