Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Caffeine + exercise

Caffeine and voluntary exercise each help protect against skin cancer, at least in mice, according to a new study. "When both are combined the protection is even more than the sum of the two," said Dr. Allan H. Conney of the laboratory for cancer research at Rutgers University, where the study was done.

The researchers divided mice into four groups: Some were fed caffeinated water, some had running wheels, some had both and a control group had neither. "The most dramatic and obvious difference between the groups came from the caffeine-drinking runners, a difference that can likely be attributed to some kind of synergy," Conney said.

That's beautiful news for this caffeine-drinking runner and probably millions of others. But don't worry, I'll keep wearing sunscreen too. (I now wear SPF 15 or 30 religiously, and I even use moisturizer with sunscreen in it. I also floss, take a daily multivitamin and love Marshall's as much for its housewares as for its shoes. I am getting old.)

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