White Tea Protects Against Sun Damage

CLEVELAND--Research from University Hospitals of Cleveland (UHC) and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) reported topically applied white tea may protect against sun damage and may ultimately provide anti-aging benefits.

Seth Stevens, M.D., and colleagues applied white tea extract cream to skin not usually exposed to sunlight--the buttocks. That area was then exposed to artificial sunlight, as was a patch of skin without cream. Researchers then reapplied the white tea extract to the previously coated area. Three days later, the scientists compared tested skin patches on a cellular level.

They found the white tea extract protected against the destruction of Langerhans cells, which are found in the outer layer of skin (epidermis) and are the outermost representatives of the immune system since they are the first to detect germs and mutated proteins caused by cancer cells. However, because of their location, Langerhans cells are very sensitive to sunlight damage. In the sun-exposed skin not treated with the extract, these cells were destroyed. Researchers also reported the white tea extract cream warded off DNA damage that usually occurs in sun-exposed cells.

The researchers believe the tea worked by protecting against oxidative stress. "We know younger skin tends to be able to resist the oxidative stress associated with exposure to the destructive rays of sunlight," said Kevin Cooper, chairman of the dermatology department at UHC and CWRU (www.uhcderm.com). "The white tea extract also appears to build the skin's resistance against stresses that cause the skin to age."

Reportedly, this study is the first to research the effects of white tea and skin damage; previous research has shown green tea, which is as high in antioxidants as white tea, to be effective in protecting against UVA radiation (Int J Cancer. 102, 5:439-44, 2002).

The white tea study, which will be submitted sometime in the future for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, was funded by New York-based Origins Natural Resources, a division of The Estée Lauder Companies.