It is widely known that the primary cause of skin cancer is the effects of UV rays from the sun. Skin cancer is a big health concern in many countries around the world, and guarding against it is thought to be a simple case of keeping out of the sun as much as possible.
Now, researchers at the University of Colarado’s Cancer Centre have found a possible way to guard against the effects of skin cancer. Published in the Photochemistry and Photobiology journal, the pair showed that the extract silibinin, found in milk thistle, may help to kill skin cells that have been mutated by the UVA radiation in the sun.
This could then protect the body from developing skin cancer, and could also help to protect wellbeing by guarding against the effects of photo aging.
The study shows that the silibinin both repairs and kills cells that have been affected by UVA radiation, and was carried out by researchers using human skin cells alongside the extract. It also showed that when the skin is not damaged by UVA radiation, the milk thistle extract has no effect whatsoever – it is only in the case of skin cancer where it fires into action and starts working on the damaged cells.
Whilst it was initially thought that the treatment worked by simply killing off the damaged cells, more recent studies have shown that the silibinin in fact promotes the recovery of cells, and researchers now have a much more complete picture of the effects that this extract could have. These exciting developments could help to restore the wellness of those suffering from the early stages of skin cancer, or those who are at risk of developing a disease related to harmful UVA radiation.
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