By Eifion Rees
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These startling images may prove that a fruit drink developed by Nasa to protect astronauts from radiation can rejuvenate the skin.
A groundbreaking study has shown that the concoction, known as AS10, dramatically reduces wrinkles, blemishes and sun damage after four months.
Visia photographs â€" which reveal the condition of the skin below the surface by using different types of light exposure â€" were taken of 180 participants at the start of the trial, and again after four months of drinking two shots of AS10 a day. By the end UV spots were reduced by 30 per cent and wrinkles by 17 per cent.
Out of this world: The dramatic effect of AS10 on pigmentation as seen through Visia photographs, before on the left and after on the right
AS10 was developed as a nutritional supplement for astronauts to protect them from the damaging effects of high levels of radiation outside the Earth’s atmosphere.
The drink contains a blend of fruits including cupuacu (a Brazilian fruit from the cacao plant family), acai, acerola, prickly pear and yumberry, which all provide vitamins and phytochemicals â€" compounds known to block the harmful effects of radiation. Other ingredients are grape, green tea, pomegranate and vegetables.
Radiation particles alter oxygen molecules in the body to create reactive oxygen species (ROS) â€" so-called ‘free radicals’ which damage cells in a process known as oxidative stress. This process has been linked to diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s. The toxic molecules are also thought to play a role in the skin ageing process.
ROS are created naturally within the body as cells generate energy, but also through environmental factors such as chemicals and ultraviolet light from the sun â€" the strongest stress to skin. Mobile phone radiation, cigarette smoke and alcohol also generate ROS.
Space-age: AS10 was developed in conjunction with Nasa for the Astronaut Programme to ensure they received enough fruit and vegetables
‘Think of them as little Pac-men taking bites out of molecules that are essential for cells to function,’ says Dr Aaron Barson, the nutritional scientist from Utah who carried out the AS10 study after patients reported dramatic improvement from the drink.
AS10 is thought to improve skin condition because the drink’s large quantities of antioxidants ward off oxidative stress, allowing the skin to heal naturally. Antioxidants attach themselves to ROS and neutralise them before they cause damage.
Dr Barson says: ‘The skin is the first body tissue to be exposed to UV rays and we know it is sensitive to oxidative stress. Our study shows it greatly benefits from a reduction in this stress. The effects of oxidative stress on the skin can be quickly modified and the skin can heal itself by drinking AS10.’
Dr Barson suggests that the results may have been even better had the trial been conducted during the winter, when exposure to ultraviolet light would have been less.
A second, larger study is planned this summer to investigate for how long the effects last and whether skin condition reaches a plateau or deteriorates once the drink is no longer consumed.
The main drawback is the high price of the drink. The women in the trial drank a sherry glass â€" 60ml â€" of AS10 a day. At £30 per 750ml bottle, the cost was just under £300 over the four months.
Cosmetic dermatologist Dr Sam Bunting says: ‘The Visia scans show a marke d improvement in the level of UV spots, which represent sun damage beneath the surface of the skin. The kind of interventions that might deliver this level of improvement are glycolic skin peels, which use acids to strip away layers of skin, retinoids, high-potency Vitamin C and hydroquinone with the use of sun block on a daily basis.
‘If these changes were due to AS10, this would be of great interest as UV is responsible for 80 per cent of the skin changes we associate with ageing.’
She adds that although AS10 might well do what it claims, a critical appraisal of the methods in the study would be required to back this up.
Cosmetic dermatologist Dr Mervyn Patterson, of Woodford Medical, agrees. He says: ‘These images show a reduction in the degree of pigmentation on the skin caused by UV exposure. This could be due to the drink.’
But he says daily use of sunscreen with UVB/UVA sun protection factor of 50+ could deliver results on a par with A S10. ‘It is more likely to protect the skin, resulting in reductions in redness and pigmentation and a subtle reduction in wrinkles.’
as10.co
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And just where is the evidence to back up the statement that Mobile Phone Radiation causes reactive oxygen species? Radio waves to and from mobile phones are NOT ionising radiation.
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Probably tastes like TANG.
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nasa invented tang when i was a kid i drank it by the 55 gallon drum, haven't had any for 35 years, if this article is true, get the price down to where everyone can afford it like the cost of tang and everyone wins
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A NASA space drink hat? Is that like one of those hats where you can store beer cans by the ears and drink through long straws? That's an American invention also, yes?
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Does NASA need more money again? Because usually, when they are facing cuts, they come up with stuff like this to prove their worth. And per usual it's either old research or cotswallop. Not sure yet into which category this falls, probably both.
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Cupuacu, is the main ingredient in this drink, and has the same nutrients as the acai berry, which you can buy in tablet, powder or juice in most health food stores. Tablets called Colladeen have the other nutrients in this drink. Lutien tablets added, and you have the complete formula, at a tenth of the cost. I would also have a cup of Cocoa every day to complete this.
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it's unlikely that a fruit drink ever made it into space. apart from 1-2 days of fresh food the remainder of any space mission is dried, reconstituted food using water recycled from their own urine. With a litre of any fluid weighing a kilogram or more there is no way NASA would substitute payload for a fruit drink!
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Total Bosswalox !!! What's your cut DM? A shameless ad for a brand new product being sold for £38.40 for a six day supply!!!Oh! and the website has only just been setup so obviously a long established company......they think we're SO dumb..
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Advert! ....and nothing whatsoever to do with, or endorsed by, NASA. Oh, and NASA have never, ever given their astronauts a fruit 'space drink' called AS10 or anything else to 'protect against radiation'. Why don't journalists make even the most basic checks when fake press releases come in?
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I was reading this and thinking "...or you could just wear sunscreen?" glad to see that included in the last sentence. It would probably help to just eat all the fruit and vegies listed in the ingredients on daily basis as well. But people are still going to fork out for this once it becomes available. I guess common sense isn't so common.
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