At this rate, scientists will have to come up with a better description for the tomato than mere¹ 'superfood'.

While it has long been credited with cutting cholesterol² and preventing some cancers, the fruit now appears to have two more healthgiving benefits.

Protection against sunburn and helping³ keep the skin looking youthful are the latest pluses, a study has found.

Professor Mark Birch-Machin said tomatoes could provide a cheap and easy way of improving health.

"I went into the study as a sceptic," he added. "But I was quite surprised with the significance of the findings."

Researchers at Manchester and Newcastle universities recommend two tomato-based meals a day for optimum health.

Possible menus include a glass of tomato juice with breakfast and a salad later or tomato soup for lunch and pasta with a tomato sauce for dinner.

To test the fruit's ability to protect the skin, ten volunteers were asked to eat five tablespoons of tomato paste mixed with olive oil every day for three months.

Another ten had a daily dose of olive oil - minus the tomato paste.

Tests using ultra-violet lamps showed the tomato-eaters were a third better protected against sunburn at the end of the study than at the start, the British Society for Investigative Dermatology's annual conference heard.

Other tests suggested the tomato-based diet had boosted production of collagen, the protein that keeps skin supple⁴.

If that were not enough, the fruit also protects our mitochondria - the elements of cells which turn the food we eat into energy.

Professor Birch-Machin, of Newcastle University, said: "Being kind to our mitochondria is likely to contribute to improved skin health, which in turn may have an anti-ageing effect."

The researchers stressed, however, that their findings were not an excuse to throw away the suncream. Professor Lesley Rhodes, a Manchester University dermatologist⁵, said: "People should not think tomatoes in any way can replace suncreams but they may be a good additive⁶.(Www.hxen.com)

The fruit's benefits are credited to lycopene, the pigment⁷ behind its distinctive⁸ red skin.

Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant capable of mopping up free radicals⁹ - the harmful molecules¹⁰ linked to cancer - is made easier for the body to absorb when tomatoes are cooked or processed.

如果是这样的话，恐怕科学家们得找一个比“超级食品”更合适的词语来形容西红柿了。

西红柿一直以能够降低胆固醇和预防一些癌症而著称，而现在它又多了两个新的保健功效。

一项最新研究发现，西红柿能够增强皮肤防晒能力，并有助于保持肌肤年轻。

马克•伯齐-麦辰教授说，西红柿是一种简单经济的保健食品。

他说：“我是抱着怀疑的态度进行这项研究的。但研究结果让我十分惊讶。”

曼彻斯特和纽卡斯尔大学的研究人员们建议，每天吃两顿西红柿最有益于身体健康。

比如，早餐可以喝杯番茄汁，之后吃份沙拉或者午餐喝点西红柿汤，晚餐吃番茄酱通心粉。

为了检验西红柿的护肤功效，研究人员让十位志愿者连续三个月每天食用五汤匙拌有橄榄油的西红柿酱。

另外十名志愿者只吃橄榄油，不吃西红柿酱。

使用紫外线灯的检测结果显示，吃西红柿酱的那组研究对象的皮肤防晒能力在研究结束时比开始时增强了三分之一。该研究结果在英国皮肤病学研究学会的年度研讨会上公布。

其他一些测试表明，含有西红柿的食物能够促进人体内胶原质的产生，胶原质是一种能够保持皮肤柔滑细腻的蛋白质。

如果这些功效还不足以说明问题，西红柿还可以保护我们体内的线粒体。线粒体是一种能够把我们摄入的食物转化为能量的细胞因子。

纽卡斯尔大学的伯齐-麦辰教授说：“保护线粒体有助于促进皮肤健康，从而达到抗衰老的效果。”

然而，研究人员强调，这一研究结果并不是说你可以不用防晒霜了。曼彻斯特大学皮肤病学家莱斯利·罗德教授说：“认为西红柿可以取代防晒霜的想法是错误的，不过西红柿可以起到很好的补充作用。”

西红柿的这些功效都要归功于茄红素，也就是那些藏在西红柿鲜亮的红色表皮下的色素。

茄红素是一种能够清除自由基的强抗氧化剂，它在西红柿被烹制或加工后更容易被人体吸收。自由基是一种有害的致癌分子。