Oral supplements containing extracts from green tea may help
protect against sunburn and the longer-term effects of UV
damage, says a new study from the UK. Skin levels of green tea
catechin compounds increased following oral supplementation for
12 weeks, and these increased levels were associated with
significantly lower levels of inflammatory markers when skin was
exposed to UV radiation, according to findings published in the
British Journal of Nutrition . “Our data provide the first
evidence that green tea catechins can be taken up into the skin
following oral intake in human subjects and indicate their
complex skin incorporation pattern,” wrote researchers from the
Universities of Manchester, Bradford, and Leeds. “Significant
reduction was found in the cutaneous UVR erythema dose–response,
with greatest effect at higher doses, and this reduced
inflammation may be attributable to the associated significant
abrogation of UVR up-regulation of the potent pro-inflammatory
12-LOX metabolite, 12-HETE.” The stud