The Ultimate Anti-Aging Protection?

By Jane Farrell

Researchers have identified a substance that can offer total protection against some types of sun damage, and that may lead to skin looking younger for longer.

Scientists from Newcastle University focused on the antioxidant Tiron, which targets mitochondria, known as the “batteries” of the skin cells. Comparing the types of mitochondria-targeting antioxidants with other antioxidants such as resveratrol and circumin, they found that the most powerful mitochondria-targeting antioxidant was Tiron.  

Tiron, the scientists said, provided 100 percent protection against UVA sun damage. It also protected against the release of enzymes that cause damage induced by stress.

Study co-author Dr. Anne Oyewole said that further study was needed to see whether Tiron could be “safely added to food or cosmetics.” The substance is not a naturally occurring compound.

The findings of the laboratory study were pubished in The FASEB Journal.

The aging process occurs in skin as a result of constant sun exposure. Such exposure increases the number of damaging free radicals. As a result, the DNA within skin cells can be damaged.

Over time, this can lead to the accumulation of mutations that speed up aging and may lead to skin cancers.

Antioxidants from green tea; resveratrol, found in red wine; turmeric, found in curries; and lycopene, in tomatoes, are already known to neutralize some of this damage.

But Tiron seems to offer a much more comprehensive protection against skin-cell aging.