Posts Tagged ‘diet’

Coffee and Skin Cancer

Thursday, October 27th, 2011

9502coffee_beanWho doesn’t love a good cup of coffee to get their day started… or maybe 2 or 3 cups of coffee? Downside to drinking that much coffee? It may discolor your pearly whites. Upside? Research has linked coffee to a decreased risk in skin cancer, specifically basal cell carcinoma.

As reported on The Los Angeles Times (10/25, Brown) “Booster Shots” blog, The Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study followed a combined total of 112,897 people over the span of 24 years. Their data showed that “women who drank more than three cups of coffee had a 20% reduction in risk for basal cell carcinoma.”  They also found that men “benefited from a 9% reduction in risk of this type of skin cancer” when they drank three or more cups of joe per day WebMD (10/25, Warner).

Mere coincidence?  The researchers also found that “drinking decaffeinated coffee did not have any effect on skin cancer risk…”  So is caffeine the skin cancer fighting ingredient?  To answer that question, the researchers are now “looking into whether caffeine should be added to sunscreen to increase its effectiveness against skin cancer” WebMD (10/25, Warner).

So… when you’re walking out the door in the morning, remember to slather on the SPF and grab that cup of java!

Skin Protection From Grapes??!!

Monday, August 29th, 2011

flavonoidsGrapes can be a delicious snack to your healthy diet, and they could potentially help your skin.  An article in the UK’s Daily Mail reports that “grapes could protect against skin cancer and prevent premature ageing.” 

The study, conducted by scientists at the University of Barcelona and the Spanish National Research Council, found that grapes- more specifically, flavonoids found in grapes, may have skin protecting benefits.  The scientist found that the flavonoids “protect cells from the ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sun…”

Grapes aren’t just for the produce aisle anymore!  In light of this new research, you may soon be able to find them in the skincare aisle as well!!

To read the article in it’s entirety, click on the following link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2020975/Scientists-discover-grapes-protect-skin-cancer.html