Grape Seed Extract may offer protection against skin cancer

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common form of skin cancer and accounts for 20% of cutaneous malignanciesand 90% of all head and neck cancers. Unlike most basal cell carcinomas SCCs of the skin are associated with a risk of metastasis. SCC frequently arises on the sun-exposed skin of middle-aged and elderly individuals (see the image below).

 Scientists in the Department of Dermatology at Kaiser Permanente, Oakland compared 415 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of SCC to 415 age-, sex, and race-matched subjects with no history of skin cancer.

If the individual used Grape Seed Extract supplements they had a 74% reduced risk (significant reduction) of developing SCC. Use of a Multiple-Vitamin reduced the risk by 29%. The study is published online June 9th, 2011 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.