Wine Consumption may defend the body from Nasty Sunburn

In the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers from the University of Barcelona reported that wine consumption may defend the body from the damaging effects of sunburn. A compound called flavinoid that occurs in grapes and grape derivatives protects the human skin from the nasty effects of ultraviolet radiation.

Previous studies have demonstrated that wine has some effect in defending the body from Alzheimer’s disease, cavities, and prostate cancer, explained the authors. Nonetheless, no prior study has evaluated the protective effects of wine on human skin.

The researchers wrote: “Several studies have demonstrated that human skin can be protected against UV radiation by using plant-derived antioxidants.”

According to scientists, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are activated when UV rays come in contact with human skin. These ROS cause the oxidation of lipids, DNA, and other large molecules sequentially activating other enzymes that destroy skin cells. ROS formation in skin cells exposed to UVB and UVA rays is destabilized by the action of flavinoids found in grapes.

Lead researcher, Marta Cascante, is of the opinion that their findings may help discover novel ways of protecting skin from the destructive sun rays.

The authors wrote: “These encouraging in vitro results support further research and should be taken into consideration into the clinical pharmacology of plant-derived polyphenolic extracts as novel agents for skin photoprotection.”