NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., July 31 Low to moderate amounts of caffeine, along with exercise may help against sunlight-induced skin cancer, according to U.S. researchers.
The National Cancer Institute says sunlight-induced skin cancer is the most prevalent cancer in the United States with more than 1 million new cases each year.
Researchers at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, showed that a combination of exercise and some caffeine protected against the destructive effects of the sun's ultraviolet-B, or UVB, radiation, known to induce skin cancer.
The caffeine and exercise seemingly conspire in killing off precancerous cells whose DNA has been damaged by UVB-rays, according to one of the study's authors, Allan Conney.
"The most dramatic and obvious difference between the groups came from the caffeine-drinking runners, a difference that can likely be attributed to some kind of synergy," Conney said in a statement.
The authors suggested several mechanisms at the biochemical level that might be responsible for the protective effects of caffeine and exercise, but acknowledged that what is happening synergistically is still somewhat of a mystery.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
