一天两餐西红柿 永葆活力无限

另外十名志愿者只吃橄榄油，不吃西红柿酱。

Tests using ultra-violet lamps showed the tomato-eaters were a third better protected against sunburn at the end of the study than at the start, the British Society for Investigative Dermatology's annual conference heard.

使用紫外线灯的检测结果显示，吃西红柿酱的那组研究对象的皮肤防晒能力在研究结束时比开始时增强了三分之一。该研究结果在英国皮肤病学研究学会的年度研讨会上公布。

Other tests suggested the tomato-based diet had boosted production of collagen, the protein that keeps skin supple.

其他一些测试表明，含有西红柿的食物能够促进人体内胶原质的产生，胶原质是一种能够保持皮肤柔滑细腻的蛋白质。

If that were not enough, the fruit also protects our mitochondria — the elements of cells which turn the food we eat into energy.

如果这些功效还不足以说明问题，西红柿还可以保护我们体内的线粒体。线粒体是一种能够把我们摄入的食物转化为能量的细胞因子。

Professor Birch-Machin, of Newcastle University, said: "Being kind to our mitochondria is likely to contribute to improved skin health, which in turn may have an anti-ageing effect."

纽卡斯尔大学的伯齐．麦辰教授说：“保护线粒体有助于促进皮肤健康，从而达到抗衰老的效果。”

The researchers stressed, however, that their findings were not an excuse to throw away the suncream. Professor Lesley Rhodes, a Manchester University dermatologist, said: "People should not think tomatoes in any way can replace suncreams but they may be a good additive.

然而，研究人员强调，这一研究结果并不是说你可以不用防晒霜了。曼彻斯特大学皮肤病学家莱斯利·罗德教授说：“认为西红柿可以取代防晒霜的想法是错误的，不过西红柿可以起到很好的补充作用。”

The fruit's benefits are credited to lycopene, the pigment behind its distinctive red skin.

西红柿的这些功效都要归功于茄红素，也就是那些藏在西红柿鲜亮的红色表皮下的色素。

Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant capable of mopping up free radicals — the harmful molecules linked to cancer — is made easier for the body to absorb when tomatoes are cooked or processed.

茄红素是一种能够清除自由基的强抗氧化剂，它在西红柿被烹制或加工后更容易被人体吸收。自由基是一种有害的致癌分子。