Drink wine to protect against UV-induced sunburns?
By David Liu, Ph.D.
This is ridiculous!
A new study suggests a grape extract may protect against skin damage induced by ultraviolet rays. Media outlets hyped that drinking wine may protect against sunburns.
What the study found has nothing to do with wine. It is an grape extract that was found to be protective against UV-induced skin damage. To be exact, a compound or flavonoid found in grape and grape extracts can protect the skin from being damaged by ultraviolet radiation. But that does not drinking wine can get the compound to the location where it protects the skin from being damaged from the ultraviolet radiation.
Foodconsumer.org truthfully reported the study as follows on July 29, two days earlier than many other news outlets.
Some phytochemicals in grapes may be used in cosmetics to protect against skin cell damages induced by solar radiation or UV rays, a new study suggests.
The study led by Cecilia Matito and colleagues from the University of Barcelona found some polyphenols found in grapes are able to prevent the formation of reactive oxygen species or ROS in human epidermis cells when exposed to UV-A and UV-B rays.
ROS can oxidise molecules like lipids and DNA, leading to cell death or injury. Such an oxidation may lead to skin cancer, sunburn and solar erythema of the dermis and epidermis, the authors say in the May 2011 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. (FC)
Readers please remember this: don't get fooled by headlines like drinking wine may protect against sunburns.
One thing that should be kept in mind is that wine as an alcoholic beverage is a carcinogen or cancer causing agent officially recognized by the U.S. National Toxicology Program. Many types of caners have been associated with drinking alcoholic beverages including wine.
In no case should wine be used to prevent or treat any health condition. Wine is a beverage that is intended to please the tongue and the nose only.
Photo credit: wikipedia.org