(Ivanhoe Newswire) – The newest potion in a woman’s skin care regimen may be found in berries. A new study shows the antioxidant ellagic acid – prevalent in raspberries, strawberries, cranberries and pomegranates – protects the skin from UV damage.

Twelve mice were exposed to increasing ultraviolet radiation three times weekly for eight weeks. Half were given daily 10 microM topical applications of ellagic acid on their skin surface.

The study, conducted at Hallym University in the Republic of Korea, shows mice exposed to the radiation without the antioxidant developed wrinkles and thickening of the skin. The mice that received ellagic acid showed reduced wrinkle formation and inflammatory response due to protection from the degradation of collagen.

Ellagic acid is found in berries as well as other fruits, vegetables and nuts. It protects against UV damage by blocking the production of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), enzymes that break down the collagen of damaged skin cells.

SOURCE: Presented at the Experimental Biology meeting in New Orleans, April 21, 2009.

Broccoli Sprouts Ward Off Stomach Cancer

(Ivanhoe Newswire) – People who carry the H. Pylori bacteria in their gut are at higher risk for stomach cancer.

Now a new study suggests an easy way to reduce that risk: eat broccoli sprouts. In a study conducted among 48 men and women from Japan, John Hopkins investigators found those who ate 70 grams of broccoli sprouts per day or a similar amount of alfalfa sprouts. The subjects were retested for H. pylori at four and eight weeks. By the final follow up, the broccoli sprout had done the trick. People who ate the alfalfa sprouts showed no change in the degree of infection.

“Broccoli has recently entered the public awareness as a preventive dietary agent. This study supports the emerging evidence that broccoli sprouts may be able to prevent cancer in humans, not just in lab animals,” study author Jed Fahey, Sc.D., was quoted as saying.

Stomach cancer is currently the second most common cancer worldwide, and the second deadliest form of the disease, so finding ways to prevent the condition could have a major impact on public health.

SOURCE: Cancer Prevention Research, published online April 6, 2009

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