Skin Changes May Reveal How Much Fruit and Vegetables You Eat: Study - Video

A preliminary study suggests that skin yellowness could provide a simple, non-invasive way to estimate fruit and vegetable intake, by reflecting the amount of carotenoids stored in the skin.

Published in Nutrients, the exploratory study examined 137 adults in Australia and investigated whether skin yellowness measured using reflectance spectroscopy was linked to dietary intake.

Carotenoids are pigments found in many yellow, orange and red fruits and vegetables. Compounds such as beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin can accumulate in the skin and may reflect dietary intake over time.

Researchers assessed participants’ diets using a food-frequency questionnaire and measured skin yellowness at four body sites with relatively low sun exposure.

The researchers found that fruit intake and combined fruit-and-vegetable intake were associated with greater skin yellowness. Each additional serving of fruit was associated with a 0.30-unit increase in measured yellowness, while each additional serving of combined fruit and vegetables was associated with a 0.10-unit increase.

Higher total carotenoid intake was also linked to greater skin yellowness. Among individual carotenoids, beta-carotene showed a significant association.

However, vegetable intake alone was not significantly associated with skin yellowness. Researchers suggested this could be because participants generally consumed fewer vegetables than recommended or because cooking methods and dietary fat can influence carotenoid absorption.

The study found that natural skin colour and ethnicity can influence measurements, meaning skin yellowness cannot be interpreted identically across everyone. Higher body-fat percentage was also associated with lower skin yellowness.

Researchers say these factors would need to be considered before the technique could be used as a reliable dietary biomarker. Because the study was small, cross-sectional and based partly on self-reported diet, it cannot establish cause and effect.

Still, the findings suggest that spectroscopy-based skin yellowness could eventually offer a quick, objective and non-invasive indicator of fruit and vegetable consumption, although larger and more diverse studies are needed.

REFERENCE: Jansson, A. K., Gomez-Martin, M., Clarke, E. D., et al. (2026). Examining Demographic Variables Associated with Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Skin Yellowness. Nutrients. DOI: 10.3390/nu18172804