Eek! Another benefit of caffeine
BOOSTER SHOT
Hooray! Yet again, coffee has been pronounced beneficial -- this time in a study in which hairless mouse were given caffeine-laced water to drink and were then exposed to UV light. Lo and behold, damage to the skin of the mice was reduced. Three cheers for caffeine!
Mice working out vigorously on exercise wheels also protected their skins in the study. And rigorous workouts plus caffeine protected skin most of all.
The study, done by Rutgers University scientists and published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences earlier this week, is just the latest promising news from the rodent world. Just a few weeks back, scientists reported that implanting certain chemicals into isolated regions of a mouse body (buttocks, say, or whatever mice have instead of buttocks) reduced fat content in just that area. In other words, one day that Holy Grail of weight loss -- "spot fat reduction" -- might finally be achieved.
Rodents offer their disappointments too. Mouse studies, in part, were responsible for the bad news that one of the best routes to significantly extending the human life span may lie in severely restricting the number of calories one eats.
But let's not forget: That was in mice.
-- Rosie Mestel.
