Caffeine may kill some skin cancer

Giving up coffee for Lent? Not so fast! A new study from the Journal of Investigative Dermatology reveals that caffeine may kill off some human cells damaged by ultraviolet light, one of the key triggers of several types of skin cancer.

Read the original article from the Journal of Investigative Dermatology (off campus login req’d)

News article from MSNBC

The finding could be used to develop a topical application of caffeine that could be targeted to at-risk skin cells, as it seems to make those cells more killable and because “caffeine itself is a potent sunscreen,” said Paul Nghiem of the University of Washington and a team member of the new study.