A study run by Dr. Michael Heffernan, assistant professor of dermatology and director of the Dermatology Clinical Trials Unit at Washington University in St. Louis, is researching whether a vitamin natually found in carrots and tomatoes can protect skin from sunburns. The vitamin. zeaxanthin, is a natural pigment found in fruits and vegetables.
In the “sunscreen vitamin” study, patients are treated with 30mg of the zeaxanthin supplement orally every day. Then, throughout the study, small patches of skin are exposed to a regulated amount of sunlight. The researchers then track these skin patches to see if the vitamin is providing sun protection.