A Jog and a Joe for Skin Cancer Protection? :

A newly released study has proposed a combined benefit of exercise and caffeine consumption in the prevention of skin cancer .

A combination of exercise and some caffeine -- equivalent to one or two cups of coffee a day -- protected against the effects of the sun's ultraviolet-B radiation, which can lead to cancer.

It should be noted that this study was done on mice. It is also worth noting that the difference in protection between the groups was quite substantial.

Compared with the UVB-exposed control animals, the caffeine drinkers showed an increase of about 95 per cent in UVB-induced apoptosis , the exercisers showed a 120 per cent increase, and the mice that were both drinking and exercising showed an increase of nearly 400 per cent.

Other studies have shown exercise alone to lower the risk of melanoma-based skin cancers, colon cancer, breast cancer and advanced prostate cancer and coffee to lower the risk of some skin cancers, liver cancer and breast cancer. Green and black tea consumption has also been shown to help but only versions with caffeine.

It is no secret that exercise is a front-line defense for many diseases, but should we be adding caffeinated beverages to our cancer-fighting arsenal? Is this another nail in the coffee-is-bad-for-you-coffin?

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