Drinking wine may protect against the harmful effects of sunburn, researchers from the University of Barcelon revealed in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. They explained that grapes and grape derivatives have a compound – a flavonoid – that helps protect human skin from the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation.

The authors explained that wine has been shown in previous studies to have some effect in protecting against Alzheimer’s disease, cavities, and prostate cancer. However, no prior study had looked at the effect it may have on human skin.

The researchers wrote:

“Several studies have demonstrated that human skin can be protected against UV radiation by using plant-derived antioxidants.”

“These encouraging in vitro results support further research and should be taken into consideration into the clinical pharmacology of plant-derived polyphenolic extracts as novel agents for skin photoprotection.”

Written by Christian Nordqvist