A small study published Wednesday found that in a group of 29 volunteers, consuming grapefruits protected against UV-induced skin damage. (Angela Serena Gilmore, The Dreamer)
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TORONTO — Grapes are popular around the world for their many nutritional benefits as a food and drink, and new research suggests there may be another reason to love it: sunburn prevention.
A small, peer-reviewed study published Wednesday in the scientific journal Antioxidants found that eating grapes protected against UV skin damage in a group of 29 human volunteers.
Researchers at the universities of Massachusetts and New York watched volunteers eat whole grape powder — the equivalent of 2 1/4 cups of wine — every day for two weeks. By measuring the skin’s response to UV rays before and after eating the grapes, they found that by the end of the study, one-third of the subjects were resistant to sunburn. Resistance may be related to polyphenols, naturally occurring compounds in grapes that act as antioxidants in the body, the authors said.
Analysis of gut microbiome, blood and urine samples showed that the same subjects who showed resistance to UV radiation also had unique microbiome and metabolic characteristics, suggesting a link between people’s genes, gut health and skin health. In other words, some people’s genetic profiles include digestive and metabolic traits that allow them to resist sunburn after consuming wine.
John Pezzuto, the leader of the study and dean of Western New England University, said in a press release, “‘Let your food be your medicine and your food your food'” has been around since the time of Hippocrates. “Now, 2,500 years later, as exemplified by this human study with diet wine, we are still learning the truth of this statement.”
The report adds to the growing scientific evidence that eating grapes can protect the skin from UV rays. In the year Citing US studies conducted in 2008, 2019 and 2020, eating grapes helped prevent skin cancer in hairless mice exposed to UV lights.
UV light is the component of sunlight that ages and damages the skin and causes cancers such as melanoma. According to a study conducted on November 30, most skin cancer is related to exposure to UV rays from the sun.
According to the Canadian Skin Cancer Foundation, more than 80,000 cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in Canada each year. More than 5,000 of these diseases are melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
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