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Caffeine and carrots offer sun protection

Caffeine and carrots may be the two newest secret weapons to help protect yourself from the sun.

Creighton University dermatologist Dr. Christopher Huerter says a recent study indicated those who drink more than four cups of coffee a day may actually be getting sun protection without realizing it. 

The study showed that those individuals showed a 20% reduction in malignant melanomas, the deadliest type of skin cancer. 

Additionally, he says doctors have repeatedly observed that people with sensitive skin are less likely to burn if they eat carrots or take a beta carotene tablet. 

Huerter says it’s also extremely important to wear sunscreen, preferably SPF 50 or higher.

"The key to sunscreen is you have to put enough on and you have to reapply if you’re skin gets wet in the form of sweating or jumping in a swimming pool or a lake.  The sunscreen ingredient I like the best is titanium dioxide.  It’s a reflective material.  What happens when people wear that is the sun hits the titanium dioxide in the sunscreen and it basically just bounces off.”

Huerter says titanium is a natural element, is really effective and stays on the skin pretty well.

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 76,000 people are diagnosed with melanoma each year.