Diet may define healthy skin color

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Diet may be crucial to the look of healthy skin, researchers in Scotland and England said.

Fifty-four study participants at St. Andrews in Scotland were asked to use specialized computer software to manipulate skin tone and brightness to make both male and female Caucasian faces appear as healthy as possible.

The study, published in International Journal of Primatology, found the study participants made skin lighter and more yellow to appear most healthy.

The researchers link lighter and more yellow skin color to the "carotenoid pigments" found in fruit and vegetables.

"What we eat and not just how much we eat appears to be important for a healthy appearance," study researcher David Perrett of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland said in a statement. "The only natural way in which we can make our skin lighter and more yellow is to eat a more healthy diet high in fruit and vegetables."

"In the West we often think that sun tanning is the best way to improve the color of your skin," study researcher Ian Stephen, now at the University of Bristol in England, said.

However, the research suggests living a healthy lifestyle with a good diet might actually be better.