Your Skin's Secret Weapon: The Power of Your Microbiome - AI Podcast

Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health

Briana Mercola

Health & Fitness, Health, Alternative Health

4.6 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 10 June 2025

⏱️ 8 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Story at-a-glance

Your skin microbiome helps protect against UV radiation damage by metabolizing harmful cis-urocanic acid (cis-UCA) using an enzyme called urocanase, preventing immunosuppression and inflammation after sun exposure
Urocanase-positive bacteria rapidly respond to UVB exposure, shifting skin microbiome composition within hours and creating a protective feedback loop that supports overall skin health
Conventional sunscreens often disrupt beneficial skin bacteria, while certain microbes produce protective compounds like pigments, antioxidants, and enzymes that naturally neutralize harmful UV radiation
Linoleic acid (LA) from vegetable oils accumulates in skin cells, making them vulnerable to UV damage. Conversely, C15:0 fat can eventually replace LA in cell membranes
Reducing LA intake and supplementing with 2 grams of C15:0 daily can help boost skin health in 12 to 18 months, enabling greater sun resilience without relying on conventional sunscreens

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom.
0:04.0	Stay informed with quick, easy-to-listen summaries of our latest articles, perfect for when you're on the go.
0:09.0	No reading required. Subscribe for free at Mercola.com for the latest health insights.
0:15.0	When you step into the sun tomorrow, what if the microscopic community living on your skin already knows how to protect you,
0:22.3	better than sunscreen, and faster than any lotion? Hello, and welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular
0:28.2	wisdom. I'm Ethan Foster, and today we're revealing how your skin microbiome forms a living
0:33.8	shield against ultraviolet damage. I'm Alara Sky. In the next few minutes, you'll hear how
0:39.2	specific bacteria deploy an enzyme called Euroconase to dismantle a harmful compound that appears on
0:45.3	your skin after UVB exposure. We'll stay grounded in Dr. Murkola's article, outlining exactly how
0:51.9	these microbes work and what actions help them thrive.
0:55.0	Let's start with the problem. UVB rays convert trans-eurocanic acid, normally harmless,
1:02.0	into cis-eurocanic acid, or cis-UCA. CISUCA suppresses your local immune response,
1:09.0	sparks inflammation, and sets the stage for DNA damage.
1:13.6	The Journal of Investigative Dermatology study asked whether bacteria equipped with Eurocanase could neutralize CISUCA before it harms you.
1:22.6	The answer was a decisive yes. Within hours of UVB exposure, populations of Eurocanas positive bacteria,
1:30.6	especially Staphylococcus epidermitis, rose sharply. By metabolizing cis-UCA into harmless
1:37.0	byproducts, they stopped the immunosuppression cascade, reduced redness, and protected DNA integrity.
1:46.8	The speed here is striking. Measurable benefits appeared the same afternoon. Researchers confirmed the effect by disinfecting skin patches to remove
1:52.3	those microbes. Where bacteria were stripped away, cis-UCA's damage hit full force, more inflammation,
1:59.8	more swelling, more immune disruption. That side-by-side
2:03.3	comparison shows why preserving your native skin community matters more than slathering on a
2:08.3	product that wipes it out. The protective story goes deeper. As Eurocene's positive strains feast
	...

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