Green tea holds sun care benefits
New research has found that green tea may help protect the skin against sunburn and UV damage
Oral green tea supplements may help protect the skin against sunburn and UV damage, say researchers from the Universities of Manchester, Bradford and Leeds in a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
“Green tea catechins (GTC) reduce UV radiation (UVR)-induced inflammation in experimental models, but human studies are scarce and their cutaneous bioavailability and mechanism of photoprotection are unknown,” said the study.
Sixteen healthy test subjects of phototypes I an II (ie: fair-skinned) were given low-dose oral green tea supplements of 540mg alongside 50mg of vitamin C daily for 12 weeks. Pre- and post-supplementation, their buttock skin was exposed to UVR and the resultant level of erythema quantified. Skin blister fluid and biopsies were also taken.
AUC analysis for erythema revealed reduced inflammatory response after the supplements were taken, and levels of 12-HETE were reduced by a third, leading the team to conclude that “oral green tea catechin metabolites are incorporated into human skin and protect against UV radiation-induced cutaneous inflammation.”