Grapes may act as an edible sunscreen: Study New human research has found that consuming grapes can protect against ultraviolet (UV) skin damage --and polyphenols are the likely culprit. The two-part study, funded by the California Table Grapes Commission, was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology and revealed that the subjects displayed increased resistance to sunburn and a reduction in markers of UV damage at the cellular level. Study details The research was conducted at the University of Alabama, Birmingham and led by principal investigator Craig Elmets, MD. Elmets et al investigated the impact of consuming whole grape powder - equivalent to 2.25 cups of grapes per day - for 14 days against photodamage from UV light.