Researchers find red wine can reduce risk of prostate cancer

 by Rosanne Fohn, Communications Coordinator, Southwest Oncology Group

      Wouldn’t it be nice if something as simple as a glass of wine could help prevent prostate cancer?  That’s what a study from the International Journal of Cancer suggests.                                                                           “We found that men who consumed four or more glasses of red wine per week reduced their risk of prostate cancer by 50%,” said Janet L. Stanford, Ph.D.  Stanford is senior author of “Alcohol consumption and risk of  prostate cancer in middle-aged men”.  The study appeared in the September 2004 edition of the journal.                                                                               Red wine seemed to be most effective in preventing aggressive types of cancer, Stanford said.  Researchers found about 60 percent fewer cases of the aggressive types of cancer in men who drank four or more 4-ounce glasses of wine a week.  Stanford’s comments come from a press release issued by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center where the study was conducted.                                                                          Dr. Scott Lippman, Study Coordinator for the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT), discussed the red wine study at the Fall 2004 Southwest Oncology Group Meeting.  “This is one of only a few studies that show a strong connection between drinking liquor and the prevention of prostate cancer,” he said.  “This is a small study.  While the results are preliminary they do show some promise, especially if other studies confirm the results.”           The study compared red wine, white wine, beer and hard liquor, but only red wine seemed to prevent cancer.  Researchers think the beneficial ingredient in red wine is resveratrol.  There are high levels of resveratrol in the skin of red grapes.  Smaller amounts also are found in white grapes, peanuts, and raspberries.                                                                         The study showed that the chance of prostate cancer went down 6 % with each glass of red wine the men drank during a given week.  However, the results were not as positive when the men drank more than a moderate amount of red wine.  Stanford said that it is hard to encourage people to drink more than a small amount of alclhol because of problems that can come from heavy drinking.  These problems can include a higher overall risk of cancer, the chance of an injury and social problems.                                                       “But for men who already are consuming alcohol, I think the results of this study suggest that modest consumption of red wine, about for to eight 4-ounce drinks per week, is the level at which you might receive benefit.  Clearly other studies show that more than that may have adverse effects on your health.”

What is resveratrol?  

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) resveratrol is a type of antioxidant compound found in grape skins and seeds.  This compound helps the grapevine defend itself against disease, infection, stress, and injury.                                              Red wine contains higher levels of resveratrol than white wine.  When white wine is made, the grape skins are removed after the grapes are crushed.  This is not the case when red wine is made.  When the red wine ferments, the antioxidant compounds from both the skin and the seeds become concentrated in the wine.                                                       Scientists are still in the early  stages of testing the effects of red wine on cancer in humans.  The types of cancer being studied include leukemia, skin, breast and prostate cancer.                          The NCI cautions that drinking large amounts of alcoholic beverages may increase the overall risk of some types of cancer.