Red wine may keep prostate cancer cells in check 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 "commit suicide"--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, according to Dr. I. Romero and colleagues from Getafe University in Madrid, Spain. 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," Romero and colleagues explain in the journal BJU International. Their 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 apoptosis, compared with an inactive compound, after 24 hours. The results point to a need for studies investigating the effects of these compounds in humans, with the potential goal of developing recommendations for their use in cancer prevention, Romero's team concludes. CancerSource.com Reuters Health, 7/02 Am J Epidemiol, 2007 Sep 29; [Epub ahead of print] Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.