The combination of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) produced measurable benefits within two weeks, according to findings published in the peer-reviewed journal Food & Nutrition Research.
The researchers used the commercial ingredient Nutroxsun from Monteloeder (Spain) for the study, and Monteloeder and Nutrafur financially supported the study.
“Long-term oral extract supplementation can contribute to skin protection by maintaining a steady-state systemic concentration of compounds capable of protecting the skin cells from UVR-induced alteration,” wrote the researchers, led by Vincenzo Nobile from the Complife Group in Italy.
“[T]he intake of Nutroxsun can be considered a complementary nutrition strategy to avoid the negative effects of sun exposure and photoaging. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating the antioxidant, photoprotective, and anti-aging efficacy of this combination of plants extracts.”
Study details
The new study built on previous data from both skin cell studies and a human pilot trial, which reported potential protective effects against UV damage to the skin.
For the new study, 90 subjects were recruited and randomly assigned to receive 100 mg Nutroxsun, 250 mg Nutroxsun, or the placebo (100% maltodextrin) every day for two months.
Results showed that both Nutroxsun groups produced significant improvements in skin elasticity, while skin wrinkles were also shallower in the active groups. However, no differences were observed between the 100 mg and 250 mg doses.
Decreased levels of lipoperoxides (LPO) in the skin were also recorded by the researchers as a result of exposure to UVB and UVA radiation. Skin redness, assessed in an additional short term study with five participants, was also significantly reduced in both Nutroxsun groups, said the researchers.
“The long-term oral intake of Nutroxsun can be considered to be a complementary nutrition strategy to avoid the negative effects of sun exposure,” they wrote. “The putative mechanism for these effects is most likely to take place through the inhibition of UVR-induced reactive oxygen species and the concomitant inflammatory markers (lipoperoxides and cytokines) together with their direct action on intracellular signalling pathways.”
Anti-Aging
Experts from Nutrilite/Amway, Unistraw and CosmeticsDesign-USA will discuss the science, market, and consumer expectations at the upcoming NutraIngredients-USA Anti-Aging Forum on July 28. For more information and to register for free, please click HERE.
Source: Food & Nutrition Research
2016, 60: 31871, doi: 10.3402/fnr.v60.31871
“Skin photoprotective and antiageing effects of a combination of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) polyphenols”
Authors: V. Nobile et al.