To avoid damage from the sun that could lead to skin cancer, researchers now believe that spreading a compound made from green tea on the body may protect us from skin cancer. Scientists at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, used a byproduct of substances in green tea , polyphenols, on the buttocks of six fair-skinned adults. Caucasians were chosen because they are much more likely than people with darker skin to develop skin cancers. They found that the green tea polyphenols interfere with DNA damage from ultraviolet radiation, Santosh Katiyar, PhD, lead author of the study wrote in the journal Cancer Research. The latest study was based on previous studies by Katiyar's team and others that showed green tea compound applied to the skin of mice prevented skin inflammation and cell division , signs that indicate DNA damage. Katiyar suggests that the polyphenols absorb some of the ultraviolet light, and that they inhibit some of the radiation's penetration into the deeper layers of the skin. He adds that itis possible the green tea compound may work as asunscreen and that using it in skin care products may be an important way to prevent DNA damage and ultimately cancer.