Red wine was once touted as a health benefit that could protect the heart and even extend life expectancy. But although scientists have debunked this claim, they believe that at least one ingredient in red wine – a compound called resveratrol – may have real health benefits.
A recently released study will evaluate whether a small dose of this chemical, which is also found in red grapes, blueberries and peanuts, could help keep bowel cancer at bay.
The trial, one of the largest to date testing cancer prevention drugs, will recruit patients who are at risk of developing the disease.
Resveratrol, successful in mice
“With the Colo-Prevent study, we are embarking on a unique experiment to see how drugs could stop the growth of intestinal polyps. This study could have major implications for how we prevent bowel cancer in people who are most likely to develop the disease as they get older,” said Professor Karen Brown, researcher at the University of Leicester and lead study coordinator.
The study builds on more than a decade of work by Brown’s lab, which previously found that purified resveratrol can slow the growth of tumors in mice and reach the intestine undigested.
The study recruited people aged 50 to 73 who had taken part in a bowel screening program and were found to have bowel polyps – small growths which are usually not serious but can develop into cancer if are not treated. Patients will have their polyps removed and be given either aspirin alone or a combination of aspirin and metformin (a diabetes drug) daily for three years for the main study.
Red wine, still not recommended
Others will take purified resveratrol or a placebo for a year as part of a secondary study. Drinking red wine does not prevent cancer, and alcohol is a known cause of cancer, he notes The Guardian.
All patients will then undergo a colonoscopy to determine if the polyps have started to grow again.
“This study opens the door to a new era of cancer research where it becomes much easier to prevent through cutting-edge science. The insights gained from the study will change the way we think about cancer prevention and give more people the chance to live longer and better lives without fear,” said Dr Iain Foulkes, Executive Director of Research and Innovation at Cancer Research UK.
We also recommend that you read:
A ‘useless’ organ that doctors often remove could be fighting cancer
A promising new treatment for the deadliest type of brain cancer
An isotope used in the treatment of cancer will be produced at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant
‘Remarkable’ progress in treating cervical cancer. Risk of death, reduced by 40%
Source: www.descopera.ro
