Lycopene, an antioxidant compound found in high concentrations in tomatoes, has been shown by previous studies to exert beneficial effects on the heart, blood pressure, prostate, and bone. M. Rizwan, from The University of Manchester (United Kingdom), and colleagues studied 20 healthy women, average age 33 years, with skin types defined as phototype I/II.  Women either received either 55 grams of tomato paste (containing 16 milligrams/day of lycopene) in olive oil, or just olive oil, to consume daily for 12 weeks.  The team found that the daily dose of ultraviolet light needed to cause skin reddening increased, from 26.4 mJ/cm2 at the study’s start to stand at 36.6 mJ/cm2 after lycopene supplementation, a result which shows an improved resistance of the skin to reddening among those subjects who consumed the tomato paste. Additionally, the researchers found that lycopene supplementation reduced the UVA-induction of the matrix metalloprotease enzyme MMP-1, which has a key role in the degradation of the extracellular matrix during premature skin aging. The team concludes that: “Tomato paste containing lycopene provides protection against acute and potentially longer term aspects of photodamage.”