Eating dark-coloured fresh produce such as plums, peaches and nectarines has more impact on how attractive a man appears than his masculinity, new research suggests.
Dr Ian Stephen of the University of Nottingham made the findings as part of his ongoing studies into the effects on attractiveness of dietary carotenoids, such as those found in red or yellow fruit and vegetables. An earlier study showed that eating these pigments gave the skin a golden tone, and that men rated women who had this as the most attractive.
“A new development in this area suggests that carotenoids might be even more important to our appearance than we previously thought,” Stephen explains. “Whereas a feminine appearance is very important in determining the attractiveness of women, there has been debate among scientists about how important masculinity is for men. Our results suggest that the ‘golden’ colour associated with carotenoids is actually more important than masculinity, and predicted how attractive women found men’s faces.”
Meanwhile, a group of fruit growers has put the findings of Stephen’s initial study to the test. Hortgro Services in South Africa asked 65 women to eat one plum and one nectarine every day for two weeks, asking them before and after questions about how attractive they felt.
The results of their feedback were as follows:
• 45.3 per cent felt more confident about their appearance than before eating the fruit
• 36 per cent felt more attractive
• 68.8 per cent felt that their complexion had improved and was brighter/had a more natural glow
• 53.1 per cent noticed that the condition of their skin improved after eating the fruit
• Those who described their skin complexion as “clear” increased by 12.5 per cent of the sample - from 20.3 per cent to 32.8 per cent
• Those who described their skin complexion as “dull” decreased by 25 per cent of the sample - from 34.4 per cent to 9.4 per cent.
“This study is a bit of fun,” says Stephen, “but its results make sense in the context of our research. Our results showed that people who eat more fruit and vegetables - especially those yellow and red fruit such as plums and peaches, and green leafy veg like spinach, that contain high levels of red/yellow antioxidants - have a more ‘golden’ skin tone. This tone seemed to have a much better effect on healthy appearance than a suntan.”
He adds that the antioxidant properties of the carotenoids that cause this golden skin colour are believed to be important in maintaining a strong immune system and a healthy reproductive system.
“Individuals who are eating plenty of fruit and vegetables with lots of carotenoids are getting the antioxidant benefits for their immune and reproductive systems,” he says. “Other people can see that, viewing people with lots of golden carotenoid colour in their skin as healthier. Since healthy appearance is a huge part of attractiveness, it seems as though fruit and vegetables can make you more attractive, too.”
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