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Red Wine May Keep Prostate Cancer Cells in Check
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Compounds in red wine may keep prostate cancer cells from proliferating, results of a preliminary laboratory study suggest. Researchers from Spain found five different polyphenols, antioxidants found in red wine, tea, and certain fruits and vegetables, inhibited the growth of prostate cancer cells in a test tube and encouraged cancer cells to ˇ°commit suicide,ˇ± a natural process called apoptosis.
The findings, if confirmed by larger studies, may help to explain the higher rates of prostate cancer in the US and non-Mediterranean European countries. The rate of prostate cancer in Mediterranean countries, where intake of red wine and other polyphenol-containing foods is high, tends to be lower. The Mediterranean diet is considered to be protective against the endocrine cancers (including prostate cancer), and features a low animal-fat and meat content, with a high intake of fresh fruit, vegetables, pasta, and wine.
The study examined the effect of five polyphenols found in red wine--gallic acid, tannic acid, morin, quercetin and rutin--on prostate cancer cells. The researchers added varying amounts of these compounds to a dish containing prostate cancer cells. All five compounds inhibited cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis. The results point to a need for studies investigating the effects of these compounds in humans with the potential goal of developing recommendations for use in cancer prevention. Prostate cancer is the second-deadliest form of cancer for US men, after lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
SOURCE: BJU International 2002;89:950-954.
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