Do you know that you can make your skin look up to 10 years younger by just eating grapes? Researchers recently found that eating this common fruit may result in a stronger shield from UV light damage to the skin.
The study authors also believe that the naturally-occurring, antioxidant-filled compounds in grape, also called "polyphenols," are responsible for such a shielding effect.
According to a Ladders report, as the East Coast withstands a specifically-nasty search of winter and snowstorms, it is safe to assume millions among humans have been dreaming of summer days spent at the beach as they soak up the sun.
Essentially, the sun and all the UV light it can provide can do a lot of good for a person's health, like jumpstarting the essential vitamin D production. Certainly, everyone knows what can transpire after one spends a lot of time catching some tan.
Possible Skin Damage from Sunburn
The said report indicates that sunburn develops slowly, and a lot of people do not even realize the extent of the damage until they go back home to find discover their skin having an achy shade of red color.
On a more serious level, prolonged exposure to UV light can increase, too, the danger of developing skin cancer. People have employed different approaches in shielding themselves from excess light while catching some sun rays, like carefully re-applying suntan or putting on a big-brimmed hat.
This new study recently done at the University of Alabama and Birmingham showed that building up enhanced resistance to sunburn and UV light-associated skin impairment on the cellular level may be as easy and simple as consuming a specific kind of fruit.
According to Dr. Craig Elmets, the lead study investigator, they saw a substantial photoprotective impact on grapes' consumption. They were able to determine the molecular pathway by which that benefit is taking place, through a couple of DNA damage, as well as "downregulation of proinflammatory pathways.
Grapes as an Edible Sunscreen
The study investigator also explained grapes might function as an edible sunscreen, providing an added layer of protection on top of the topical sunscreen products applied on the skin.
To be clear, Dr. Elmets added, regardless of the amount of grapes one consumes, one should still apply sunscreens, too. As he explained, grapes seem to provide an added layer of UV light protection for the human skin.
To come up with the said conclusions, a group of study participants was provided with a portion of whole grape powder every day equivalent to about 2.25 cups of grapes for two whole weeks in all.
Before and after those two weeks, each volunteer's Minimal Erythema Dose or MED was measured.
MED is just the technical term for the slight amount of radiation from UV light required to induce reddening of the skin in a person up to 24 hours from exposure.
As a result, the study investigators suggested that consuming regular grapes can improve resistance or protection from UV light.
Meaning, following grapes' consumption every day for two whole weeks, volunteers needed to be exposed to UV light for longer times to develop a sunburn.
Averagely, MED of the study subjects rose by an astounding 74.8 percent. The full version of the study came out in the Journal of the American Academy Dermatology.
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