- The functions of melanin in the body
- What foods contain melanin, product table
- What foods reduce melanin production
Melanin is a natural pigment that is present in the body of absolutely every person. The main role of this substance is that it is responsible for the color of the epidermis, hair, and also the eyes. Many people mistakenly take melanin exclusively as a “coloring” substance, but this is not entirely true. Pigment also has another important role. It has protective properties. If the body does not have enough melanin, a person often and quite quickly burns under the influence of sunlight, when a lot of age spots appear on the skin. A deficiency of this pigment reduces the protective properties of the dermis, so the question often arises of how to increase its concentration in the body. This may sound paradoxical enough, but melanin allows you to make up for a special diet with products enriched with this pigment.
The functions of melanin in the body
The main and most important role of melanin is to protect the skin from ultraviolet negative radiation. Due to the presence of this pigment in the body, a partial absorption of carcinogens occurs. In people with a lot of melanin, burns do not appear on the skin, and the tan lies beautifully and evenly.
The remaining “safe” part of the ultraviolet is heat, some of which is involved in the photochemical reaction. Thus, the cells do not degenerate, which means that malignant formations do not form, and the number of radionuclides decreases sharply. The highest concentration of pigment accumulates in the immediate vicinity of the cell nucleus, due to which the genetic material receives excellent protection.
UV protection is not the only function that melanin performs. The pigment has a number of other effects:
- neutralizes free radicals;
- accelerates biochemical reactions and processes;
- reduces the impact of a variety of stress factors;
- normalizes the protective functions of the body;
- supports the normal functioning of the liver and thyroid gland;
- It is directly responsible for eye color and natural hair color.
The older a person, the less melatonin in his body. This becomes the cause of gray hair and pigmentation. Therefore, wanting to look beautiful and attractive even in old age, you should be careful about your own diet. It is necessary to take care of a balanced diet, in which products must be present that stimulate the synthesis of melanin.
Pigment is normally produced in the body when a person leads a healthy lifestyle - he is in the fresh air, is not in the sun longer than the recommended time, travel to the sea, is moderately engaged in physical activity. In some cases, specialists prescribe various nutritional supplements to patients with reduced melanin, which increase pigment production and a variety of synthetic complexes.
What foods contain melanin, product table
To prevent a lack of substance, just look at your daily diet and include in the menu products that contain this pigment:
| Product Category | Specific names | General properties |
|---|---|---|
| Animal products | Beef, dairy products (cheese, cottage cheese, milk), seafood (mussels, oysters, shellfish, low-fat fish, seaweed), turkey, offal (liver, kidneys) | In addition to melanin, they contain copper and protein, which are necessary for the production of the pigment in question, substances give the skin more elasticity |
| Cereals, Legumes, Greens | Sesame, pumpkin seed, beans (soy, beans, lentils, peas, chickpeas), cereals and any types of cereals (mainly buckwheat, oatmeal, oatmeal), lettuce, spinach, celery, dill, parsley, green onions | The products presented in this list are rich in vitamins A, E, B, which contributes to the significant assimilation of other useful components obtained directly from food |
| Orange fruits, vegetables | Pumpkin, Carrot, Apricot, Melon, Peach, Persimmon, Mandarin, Orange | They contain a large amount of carotene, which gives the fruits of these plants a rich shade, and also increases the amount of melanin produced and the efficiency of the process. |
| Other source groups | These are nuts (peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts), some fruits (bananas, avocados, coconuts), vegetables (cabbage, beets), leaf crops with dark shades | All of them provide an increase in the production of melanin, but this happens to a lesser extent in comparison with the previous groups |
By including these products in your diet, you can significantly increase the concentration of melanin in the body, even at an advanced age.
The most useful food for the production of melanin is vegetables with orange fruits, cereals and legumes, as well as animal products. If you eat these products regularly and in large quantities, you can delay the appearance of gray hair and dark spots on the skin.
Do not forget about a balanced diet, since it is necessary to observe the measure. When they abuse food that produces melatonin to the detriment of another product, it negatively affects the general condition of a person.
What foods reduce melanin production
There are a number of products that, on the contrary, reduce pigment production. If such food is regularly present in the diet, then melanin is sharply reduced. People who want to have a beautiful and even tan should avoid eating these products on a beach holiday and before taking solar procedures, this food is completely excluded from their daily menu:
- too salty crackers that are eaten with beer, chips, as well as peanuts, marinades and salted food;
- pastries, cakes, pastries with buns, ice cream, cakes, sweets, marmalade, marshmallows, waffles and cookies;
- alcohol, and in particular wine, martini, cognac, rum, aperitif, vodka and other alcoholic drinks;
- carbonated drinks, strong coffee with tea;
- boiled corn.
In addition, you need to know that melanin depends not only on the food they eat, but also on genetics. It is impossible to change the genetic factors, but a properly designed diet allows you to increase the concentration of melatonin, and, therefore, to avoid the appearance of gray hair and age spots.
