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Caffeine Reduces Skin Cancer In Mice
idonotexist writes: "According to this news article, a skin lotion spiked with caffeine can reduce by more than half the number of cancer tumors on the skin of hairless mice exposed to brutal levels of ultraviolet radiation." Keeps you awake, wards off Alzheimer's, reduces cancer ... sure, I'll take a refill.
And to think, I laughed at Caffeinated Soap the first time I saw it...
The thing to note is the "or ... another compound found in green tea." The headline of the article and /. story are maybe a bit misleading inasmuch as there are a large number of compounds in green tea besides caffeine, any one of which may be responsible for the results of the study being reported on...though the article claims after that quote, that it's a caffeine treatment, not a green tea treatment. Hmm...maybe the original journal article might make that clear...but assuming that it's a green tea based lotion (including, therefore, caffeine), then the story isn't so perfectly clear... More research will sort it out, sure, but it's just a bit early to jump up and start bathing in waterjoe or anything, I suppose.
-inco
"...hairless mice exposed to brutal levels of ultraviolet radiation..."
Right. I've got the hairless thing almost down, but brutal levels of ultraviolet radiation?
Oh yeah. I guess the next time I'm in orbit around Mercury without my space suit, I'll make sure to spill coffee on myself.
This statement is false.
I don't think geeks have to worry too much about that since we consume a crap-load of caffiene and don't go outside in the sun very often (primarily for us geeks that do not live in places that have a lot of sun).
Both caffeine and EGCG are known antioxidants and oxidizing compounds are known to damage cells via protein or DNA oxidative damage which can be an ingredient in cancer. It's just so damn spiffy to see a big cellular- or organismal-level oxidative damage response like this. I couldn't find the original PNAS article online; anybody know if it's available yet?
You'd have to have a lot of bawls to try something like this. We all know that a cup of caffeine is as dangerous as a red bull. Your best bet is to try the traditional methods of sun protection, the kind you apply to your skin. You should also wear clothing that provides lots of coverage. And of course, you can avoid the problem entirely by staying inside and just reading a book.
At this rate, I'm waiting for the following:
* When milk comes 'fortified' with caffeine, like it is with Vitamin D and salt is with iodine;
* When *not* drinking coffee increases your insurance rates.
* When companies ask you to take a urine test, in order to verify that you're drinking enough of the stuff.
- undoware.ca
My coder girlfriend gave me some of that as one of my birthday gifts. Apparently my caffeine tolerance is so high that it's merely like an additional sip of coffee after drinking 5 cups: just not enough to register.
Damn.
She doesn't drink nearly as much caffeinated beverages as I do, though. I'm going to have her try it and see what happens.
You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
caffine stops you from sleeping, caffine prevents skin cancer.. therefore sleep gives you cancer
Those coffee baths friggin' HURT.
Perhaps the real explanation for this that the caffeine produced insomniac mice who get no sun.
The article (as well as this one) suggest that it works by killing cells that would form a tumor.
So what I want to know is will this work after exposure? Can this be used as a post sunburn insurance policy? Can older folks who got burned when they were young use this to reduce their risk?
I am extremely pale, and though I have been pretty careful my whole life I still get burned, and all of my ascendants that lived past 55 have had some form of skin cancer. It would be great if this could still lower my risk, or help my parents!
"I'll have a Guinness, no wait, make that a Coors Light" -Grad student I work with, who shall remain anonymous...
Man, can you imagine how horrible the lives of those lab assistants must be? Think about spending your whole day rubbing caffeine-spiked mango hand lotion all over the little squirming bodies of hairless mice and you'll see what I mean.
That must seriously mess with your love life, too.
Psychiatrist: "So tell me Mr. Johnson, what seems to be the problem?"
Patient: "OH GOD, Doctor, you have to help me!! Every time I try to make love to my wife, I keeping getting these flashes of RUBBING MANGO HAND LOTION ALL OVER HAIRLESS MICE!"
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"Cogito Eggo Sum: I think, therefore, waffle."