With summer in full gear (in certain parts of the world, obviously!), protecting your skin becomes imperative. But so many mixed reports abound - some sunscreens only block out UV rays and don’t offer that full spectrum protection. The ones that claim they do, don’t always. What can a sun worshipper do to stay protected in this day and age?

Well, this recent study in Telegraph UK shows how broccoli comes to the rescue:

Broccoli juice is better than conventional sunscreens when it comes to protecting against the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays, research has shown.

Tests on six volunteers exposed to pulses of UV radiation showed the extract reduced sunburn symptoms by up to 78 per cent.

Conventional sunscreens used in the same experiments were essentially ineffective.

The ointment was made from extracts of three-day-old broccoli sprouts rich in protective compounds called sulphoraphanes. Unlike a normal sunscreen, it does not absorb UV light to prevent it entering the skin. Instead, it works inside the body by boosting the production of enzymes that protect cells against UV damage and the risk of skin cancer.

Protection is said to last for several days.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, first tested the ointment on genetically engineered hairless mice before carrying out tests on six human volunteers, three men and three women aged between 28 and 53.

The results were reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The report’s lead author, Prof Paul Talalay, said the treatment could decrease the “long-term risk of developing cancer”.