Sunscreen in a pill?

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A plant extract taken orally can protect the skin from ultraviolet light damage.
It's important to use a good sunscreen lotion to protect from sun exposure which otherwise increases the risk of skin cancer. But sometimes people forget to put it on, or don't apply enough. That's why a development from Massachusetts General Hospital is so intriguing. Researchers there want to put the sunscreen in oral form.

They looked at an extract of a fern called Polypodium leucotomos that is known to have anti-tumor and anti-oxidant properties. Nine volunteers were exposed to ultraviolet radiation from a lamp. Skin biopsies were taken on exposure when the subjects had not taken the extract and again after an exposure when they had taken it.

The cells in the biopsy showed less of the damage linked to sunburn and skin cancer when the subjects had taken the fern extract. This is the first prospect of an oral sunscreen. If further research shows it to be effective, it would have the advantage of protecting the whole body, not just the parts where sun lotion are applied.

Source
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology December 2004

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