The health benefits of drinking red wine have been well documented in recent years—

• Longevity and brain health from its compound resveratrol
• Heart health- it’s been shown to reduce the risk of heart and cardiovascular disease
• Cancer risk – studies have shown consumption of red wine can reduce the risk of getting lung cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer

To that partial list we can now add one more reason to drink a glass or two of red wine: protection against skin cancer.

Scientists in Europe have discovered that consumption of grapes or red wine can help protect skin cells from UV damage.

Grapes, which have flavonoids, can actually stop the chemical reaction that causes skin cells to die, and thus causes skin damage, researchers from the University of Barcelona and the Spanish National Research Council found. The study is published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, and was reported in the The Telegraph.

The study shows that eating grapes and drinking wine can help protect you from skin cancer and sunburns, according to Maria Cascante, biochemist from the University of Barcelona and director of the project.

“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,” she said.

Not that I’m going to throw out all my sun screen products when I hit the beach or pool this summer, but…I think I’ll pop the cork on a bottle of red vino tonight. How about you?

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