A component found in grapes could help protect the skin against the effects of the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays, according to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Grapes contain a compound called flavonoids, which can help stop the chemical chain reaction that causes skin to die when it’s hit by a UV ray, preventing premature aging, sunburn and skin cancer. UV rays are the leading environmental cause of skin damage.
In order to be effective, these compounds need to be applied to the skin, such as through sunblock or other topical creams. The researchers hope that this study could help companies to manufacture more effective sun protection.
"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," concluded Marta Cascante, a biochemist at the University of Barcelona in Spain.
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