Here’s another reason to raise your glass and celebrate the allure of great vino: red wine may help protect you against sunburn.
Spanish scientists discovered that the flavonoids found in grapes, which make red wine, help block chemical changes in the body associated with causing skin damage. Ultraviolet (UV) rays emitted by the sun are the leading environmental cause of skin problems, causing skin cancer, sunburn and solar erythema, as well as premature aging of the dermis and epidermis. The flavonoids in grapes and wine help prevent the skin from forming “reactive oxygen species (ROS)” molecules, which alter key cellular functions and may result in cell death. ROS react with UV rays to destroy cells and cause sunburn.
Paula Simpson, a celebrity nutritionist and formulation expert, notes that this study is just the latest in a series showing that routine consumption of certain naturally occurring antioxidants may provide additional protection against the harmful effects of UV radiation within the skin.
The study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, supports other research demonstrating that human skin can be protected against UV radiation by using plant-derived antioxidants. Cosmetics and drugs containing grape compounds are already on the market, but the way in which they react with cells was not easily understood until now, researchers said. This could lead to more companies trying to replicate the effect in their cosmetic products.
The study suggests that these “encouraging results should be taken into consideration in clinical pharmacology using plant-based polyphenolic extracts to develop new photoprotection skin products,” said Marta Cascante, a biochemist at the University of Barcelona (Spain) and director of the research project. ”This study supports the idea of using these products to protect the skin from cell damage and death caused by solar radiation, as well as increasing our understanding of the mechanism by which they act.”
“The concept of ‘systemic photo-protection’ by dietary means is gaining momentum,” Simpson said. “As the skin is continuously exposed to the sun and in the absence of topically applied SPFs, the skin is dependent solely upon its internal defense system. There is a growing body of research showing that specific micronutrients and antioxidants may potentially modulate and destroy thosereactive oxygen species and cellular destructive pathways produced by sun exposure.”
Simpson is a huge proponents of the power of antioxidants when it comes to maintaining healthy skin.
“Antioxidants should be considered as a key contributor in strengthening internal photo-protective mechanisms,” she continues. “When used in combination with topical sunscreens, antioxidants may help to support the skin for ongoing resistance and lifelong protection.”
Specifically, antioxidants work to:
- Increase ROS scavenging activity
- Reduce inflammation
- Stimulate immunity
- Inhibit hyper-pigmentation associated with UVR exposure (through tyrosinase inhibition – enzyme that stimulates melanin production)
Simpson also had this to say about plant polyphenols and their skin benefits:
“Polyphenols are a large family of naturally occurring plant products that are widely distributed in plant foods. Dietary sources of polyphenols are onions (flavonols); cacao, grape seeds (proanthocyanidins); tea, apples and red wine (flavonols and catechins); citrus fruits (flavanones); berries and cherries (anthocyanidins); and soy (isoflavones).
“Studies have shown the efficacy of naturally occurring polyphenols against UV radiation-induced inflammation, oxidative stress, DNA damage and suppression of immune responses. These protective benefits are mainly due to mitigating the effects of reactive oxygen species that contribute to UVR induced molecular reactions. It is, however, suggested that routine consumption of polyphenols is required to provide efficient protection as their bioavailability is relatively poor and they are metabolized quickly in the system.”
For more from Paula Simpson on genConnect:
- Wellness Bites: The Real Research Behind Latest Health Claims
- The “Clean 15″ and “Dirty” Dozen, by Paula Simpson
- Foods to Naturally Detoxify and Help Trim Your Waistline!
- Skin Cancer Awareness Month; How Antioxidants Can Help
- How Nutrition Influences Your Skin’s Aging Process
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