ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Eating grapes can help protect against sunburns, skin cancer: study

(Pexels / Grape Things) (Pexels / Grape Things)
Share

The grape is beloved around the world as a food and beverage staple that offers a lot of nutritional benefits, and new research suggests there might be another reason to love it: sunburn protection.

A published Wednesday in the scientific journal Antioxidants found that consuming grapes protected against ultraviolet (UV) skin damage in a group of 29 human volunteers. 

Researchers from universities in Massachusetts and New York monitored the volunteers as they consumed whole grape powder – equivalent to 2 ¼ cups of grapes – each day for two weeks. They measured subjects' skin response to UV radiation before and after eating the grapes, and found that, by the end of the study, one-third of the subjects showed increased resistance to sunburn. The authors said that resistance was likely linked to polyphenols, naturally-occurring compounds found in grapes that work as antioxidants in the body.

Analysis of gut microbiome, blood, and urine samples showed the same subjects who demonstrated UV resistance also had unique microbiome and metabolic characteristics that the researchers said suggested a link between people's genes, their gut health and their skin health. In other words, some people's genetic profiles include digestive and metabolic traits that allow them to enjoy resistance to sunburns after eating grapes.

"'Let thy food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food' dates back to the time of Hippocrates," John Pezzuto, the study's lead author and dean at Western New England University, . "Now, after 2,500 years, as exemplified by this human study conducted with dietary grapes, we are still learning the reality of this statement." 

The report adds to a growing body of scientific evidence that eating grapes can help protect skin against UV radiation. It cites American studies from 2008, 2019 and 2020 that found eating grapes helped prevent skin cancer in hairless mice exposed to UV lights.

UV light is the component of sunlight that ages and damages skin and can cause cancers like melanoma. According to the Nov. 30 study, most skin cancer cases are associated with exposure to UV radiation from the sun.

According to the , more than 80,000 cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in Canada each year. More than 5,000 of those cases are melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.