July 31, 2007

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Caffeine, Exercise May Protect Skin From Sun

Studies with mice found that moderate amounts of caffeine and exercise lowered the skin cancer risk from UV light exposure. Karen Hopkin reports.

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July 31, 2007  Caffeine, Exercise May Protect Skin From Sun

If you plan on hitting the beach anytime this summer, you might want to bring an iced coffee and a Frisbee. Because scientists at Rutgers University have found that caffeine and exercise may actually protect against the damaging rays of the sun.  Working with laboratory mice, the researchers discovered that drinking caffeinated water and running a couple miles a day on an exercise wheel lowered the animals’ risk of skin cancer.

It seems that caffeine and exercise combine to kill off cells that have been damaged by UV light…which is the harmful component of sunshine. If these UV-battered cells were allowed to reproduce, they could go on to form cancers.  The results are perhaps not entirely surprising. Previous studies in people have shown that coffee consumption is associated with a decreased risk of several types of cancer. The same is true for a regular workout. But the Rutgers researchers found that the two together pack an even more powerful punch when it comes to cancer prevention.  The mice were drinking the equivalent of one or two cups of coffee a day. Animals who consumed four times that amount didn’t fare as well. So you might wanna take it easy on the espresso…and don’t throw away your sunscreen just yet.

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Caffeine, Exercise May Protect Skin From Sun