Caffeine Plus Exercise May Fight Fat and Skin Cancer
When you’re downing your morning cup of Joe before you head out for a walk, you may be aiding your body in several ways. First, you’re giving your body a boost in energy, which may help you to stay the course a little longer and perhaps a bit quicker, burning more calories and promoting greater fitness.
But in addition to the energizing effect, researchers at Rutgers University’s Susan Lehman Cullman Laboratory for Cancer Research found that you may be protecting your skin from cancer.
Their research was conducted with hairless mice that are very susceptible to skin damage from the sun. The mice drank caffeinated water, (equal to a moderate 1-4 cups of coffee for a human) and ran on a wheel voluntarily every day for two weeks. Compared to mice that just drank the caffeine or just exercised, these mice gained a very positive anti-cancer affect. They increased the formation of UVB-induced apoptotic sunburn cells by almost 400 percent! Translated, that means cells that were damaged by sunlight committed suicide — a process which aborts progress towards cancer.
The mice in the combined caffeine and exercise group also burned 77 percent more fat from abdominal fat pads and decreased skin fat thickness by 68 percent.
This effect has been noted in several other research papers over the past three years. While no one is saying to toss your sunscreen, it is nice to have some good news about a beverage so many drink and so many were told they should not drink! Coffee seems to be shedding its doom and gloom image and coming up on the sunny side of the street.
