Can eating green peppers and guava really prevent dark spots? Nutritionist Xia Ziwen: 4 nutrients to fight dark spots

The temperature soared to 30 degrees, and if you are exposed to strong ultraviolet rays when going out without proper protection, it is easy to stimulate the production of melanin, and dark spots will appear! Dark spots are a major killer of beautiful skin. In addition to sun protection, can eating the right foods also help fight dark spots? There is a rumor circulating on the Internet: "Eating green peppers and guava can prevent melanin deposition and avoid the formation of dark spots." Is this true? What other nutrients can help prevent and fight dark spots?

How are dark spots formed?

Melanin deposition can easily cause dark spots, which is a big problem for women who love beauty. How is it formed? There is a type of melanocyte in the epidermis of human skin that can help the skin resist ultraviolet rays and prevent skin cells from being damaged. When ultraviolet rays shine on the skin, they stimulate the skin to produce a large number of oxidative free radicals and activate melanocytes to produce melanin to prevent ultraviolet rays from entering deep into the skin. At this time, the skin will become darker and dull. If the metabolism is poor or the skin is exposed to excessive ultraviolet rays, melanin will be over-secreted and cannot be metabolized, melanin will precipitate and form dark spots.

Depending on the location where the black spots are formed, they are divided into superficial spots, deep spots, and mixed spots. Superficial spots are located in the epidermis, such as freckles, sun spots, age spots, etc., while deep spots are located in the dermis, such as Ota's spots and zygomatic spots. Mixed spots are located deep in the bottom layer of the dermis and epidermis, such as pigmentation after skin inflammation and liver spots.

Green peppers are unripe sweet peppers and are vegetables rich in vitamin C, containing about 107.5 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams. Mature sweet peppers contain even more vitamin C than green peppers, containing about 130 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams, making them the vegetable with the highest vitamin C content.

Can green peppers and guava prevent the production of melanin?

In addition to sun protection, many people also hope to prevent the formation of dark spots through diet. There is a rumor circulating on the Internet: "Eating green peppers and guava can provide antioxidant benefits and prevent melanin deposition and sun spots." In response to this, nutritionist Xia Ziwen said that green peppers are unripe sweet peppers and are vegetables rich in vitamin C, with about 107.5 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams. Ripe sweet peppers contain even more vitamin C than green peppers, with about 130 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams, making them the vegetable with the highest vitamin C content. Guava is the fruit with the highest vitamin C content. Every 100 grams of guava contains about 120 mg of vitamin C, while red guava contains as much as 214 mg.

Vitamin C can inhibit antioxidants, fight free radicals in the body, reduce the activity of melanocytes, and prevent melanin production. It also has the effect of reducing and lightening the melanin that has already been produced. In addition, it can also promote the proliferation of collagen to repair the damage caused to the skin by ultraviolet rays.

Guava is the fruit with the highest vitamin C content. Every 100 grams of guava contains about 120 mg of vitamin C, while red guava contains as much as 214 mg.

4 nutrients to prevent dark spots

Nutritionist Xia Ziwen pointed out that you can eat food to prevent dark spots by taking in the following four nutrients:

1. Vitamin C:

It is a water-soluble antioxidant with antioxidant effect, which can block the production of melanin and thus prevent dark spots. In addition, it can also repair skin damaged by ultraviolet rays, promote the production of lost collagen, and prevent skin aging.

Recommended foods: green peppers, sweet peppers, guava, cherry tomatoes, and kiwi fruit.

Note: It is not easy to take too much vitamin C from natural foods, but if you take too much from health food supplements, there may be a risk of stones. Vitamin C is an acidic substance, and taking too much can easily cause diarrhea and increase the risk of stones.

2. Vitamin E:

It is a type of fat-soluble antioxidant that can inhibit the oxidative reaction of subcutaneous fat tissue, maintain skin elasticity and delay aging.

Recommended foods: black sesame, almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds.

Note: You don’t need to worry about overdose of vitamin E simply from food, but if you consume high-dose vitamin E health foods, overdose may cause nausea, diarrhea, headache, and increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke.

3. Polyphenols:

It is a type of phytochemical that can absorb ultraviolet rays, thereby reducing the chance of melanocyte activation and alleviating melanin deposition.

Recommended foods: blueberries, red grapes, eggplant, soybeans, black coffee, green tea, turmeric.

4. Collagen:

Collagen can help the skin retain moisture, increase skin elasticity, prevent skin dryness and aging, thereby reducing the damage of ultraviolet rays, and promote skin metabolism, making melanin less likely to deposit.

Recommended foods: Foods containing protein, such as fresh milk, soybeans and their products, fish, eggs, and meat.

Note: Taking collagen supplements may not necessarily replenish collagen effectively. Instead, you should consume enough protein and supplement with foods rich in vitamin C (because vitamin C is an important coenzyme for synthesizing collagen). Animal collagen foods such as pig's feet and chicken feet are high in fat and saturated fatty acid foods and cannot effectively increase the synthesis of collagen in the body. Excessive intake can easily lead to high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease and obesity problems.

Nutritionist Xia Ziwen reminds us that diet is helpful in preventing the formation of dark spots. Eat more foods rich in vitamin C, vitamin E and antioxidants. In addition to moderate intake of nutrients that can prevent melanin production from the diet, it is also necessary to do a good job of sun protection in daily life (for example: apply sunscreen, and use hats and umbrellas to block the sun) to prevent ultraviolet rays from damaging the skin, and drink plenty of water to prevent dryness and further damage to the skin caused by ultraviolet rays. In addition, you should also maintain a regular schedule and avoid staying up late to avoid accelerating skin aging and weakening resistance to ultraviolet rays.

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