Researchers have found that men who drink an average of four to seven glasses of red wine per week are only half as likely (52% ) to be diagnosed with prostate cancer as those who do not drink red wine. In addition, red wine appears particularly protective against advanced or aggressive cancers.
Why red wine? Scientists are focusing on plant chemicals — especially resveratrol — found in wine, in grapes and in several other fruits. Resveratrol appears to normalize certain cancer-stimulating processes in cells, upregulate vitamin D3 and counterbalance androgens, the male hormones that stimulate the prostate.
Researchers in Seattle found that wine drinking was linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer. And when white wine was compared with red, red had the most benefit. Even low amounts seemed to help, and for every additional glass of red wine per week, the relative risk declined by 6%.
Many doctors are reluctant to recommend drinking alcohol for health, according to The Harvard Men’s Health Watch, fearing that their patients might assume that if a little alcohol is good, a lot might be better. But, the Harvard publication goes on, “men who enjoy alcohol and can drink in moderation and responsibly may benefit from a lower risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and cardiac death.”
A North Carolina study a few years ago found that trans-Resveratrol, or Res, apparently helps turn off a protein in the body that prevents cancer cells from being killed, as they should. The protein, called NF-kappa B, attaches to DNA inside cell nuclei and turns genes on and off like a switch.
Resveratrol is produced in many fruits and nuts apparently as a natural antifungal agent. In grapes it is highest in the skins and the seeds. Resveratrol is higher in red wine than in white because red wine is fermented with the skins, whereas white wine is fermented after the skin has been removed. Wines produced from muscadine grapes, both red and white, may contain more than 40 mg/L. (up to 40 times the amount in ordinary red wine). But many muscadine products (jellies and juices) contain high amounts of sugar.
People who wish to avoid alcohol may be pleased to know that resveratrol is actually higher in ordinary grape juice than in ordinary, non-muscadines red wines like Pinot noire. It is also found in mulberries, and raspberries, peanuts blueberries, bilberries and cranberries, and in giant knotweed and Japanee knotweed (called hu zhang in China). Reserveratrol is also widely available as a food supplement. Although adequate tests have yet to be done in human beings to measure effects of taking it as a supplement, animal studies indicate some benefits.
Reseveratrol is an isoflavonoid. A recent study from Poland suggests that isoflavonoids upregulate the vitamin D3 receptor on cancer cells, making the cells more sensitive to the anticancer (differentiating) effects of the vitamin D3.
From another recent study comes a caution. Uroligists at University Hospital, Bonn, reviewed “all preclinical and clinical data on phytochemicals, such as genistein, lycopene, curcumin, epigallocatechin-gallate, and resveratrol, in terms of their effects as a potential treatment of prostate cancer.” They write:
The preclinical data for the phytochemicals presented in this review show a remarkable efficacy against prostate cancer cells in vitro, with molecular targets ranging from cell cycle regulation to induction of apoptosis. In addition, well-conducted animal experiments support the belief that these substances might have a clinical activity on human cancer. However, it is impossible to make definite statements or conclusions on the clinical efficacy in cancer patients because of the great variability and differences of the study designs, small patient numbers, short treatment duration and lack of a standardised drug formulation. Although some results from these clinical studies seem encouraging, reliable or long-term data on tumor recurrence, disease progression and survival are unknown. At present, there is no convincing clinical proof or evidence that the cited phytochemicals might be used in an attempt to cure cancer of the prostate.
The Oregon researchers’ recommendation of four to seven glass of red wine a week — which can be translated into grape juice for those who are alcohol-intolerant — could have extra benefits if the wine replaces high-fructose carbonated soft drinks, which are linked to obesity and diabetes. However, moderation is key. Aside from anything else, heavy alcohol consumption is associated with osteoporosis, and men who are taking hormonal therapies for prostate cancer are at increased risk for that condition.
A recent US News and World Report article briefly summarizes wine’s effects on osteoporosis:
Alcohol can disrupt calcium balance in many ways. To begin with, alcohol exposure increases PTH levels. In cases of chronic alcohol abuse, blood levels of parathyroid hormone can remain elevated, resulting in a strain on the body’s calcium reserves. In alcoholics, continuous elevations in parathyroid hormone can precipitate the condition known as secondary hyperparathyroidism, the effects of which further deplete calcium stores.
Alcohol can inhibit the production of enzymes found in the liver and kidney that convert the inactive form of vitamin D to its active form. This interference in vitamin D metabolism results in an impairment of calcium absorption. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteomalacia, a bone condition associated with pain, fractures, and deformity. Alcohol also increases magnesium excretion, an effect that can further negatively impact bone health.
But while the toxic effects of alcohol abuse are well established, moderate alcohol consumption may actually have a modest favorable effect on bone density in post-menopausal women. This effect may be explained by the fact that after menopause, alcohol enhances the conversion of testosterone into estradiol. Moderate alcohol intake may also be beneficial because of its ability to increase calcitonin, a thyroid hormone that inhibits bone resorption. (Note: More than two drinks a day, or 14 grams a day, is considered to be excessive intake and a risk factor for osteoporosis.) On the other hand, there is no evidence to suggest that moderate alcohol intake is beneficial to bone density in pre-menopausal women or in men.
By J. Strax, June 7, 2007.
Sources & Links
Red Wine May Help Keep Prostate Cancer Away Sept 22, 2004
Resveratrol, Grape Compound, Turns a Switch in Cancer Cells, Study Says June 30, 2000
Red wine, taken in moderation, reduces risk of prostate cancer By William J. Cromie Harvard News Office June 7, 2007
Non-genomic action of resveratrol on androgen and oestrogen receptors in prostate cancer: modulation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway. Br J Cancer. 2007
Mechanisms involved in resveratrol-induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in prostate cancer-derived cell lines. Benitez DA … Castellón EA. Universidad de Chili, Santiago, Chili. J Androl. 2007 Mar-Apr;28(2):282-93. Epub 2006 Oct 18.
Resveratrol — Linus Pauling Institute
Yes, Red Wine Holds Answer. Check Dosage. By NICHOLAS WAD, New York Times, November 2, 2006
Forget Resveratrol, Tannins Key to Heart Health from Wine
Wine’s beneficial effects on heart health depend more on the traditional vintner’s art than the wonder molecule resveratrol. By David Biello Scientific American, November 29, 2006
Pennington Nutrition Series: Resveratrol .pdf
The influence of isoflavonoids on the antitumor activity of vitamin D3] Wietrzyk J. Postepy Hig Med Dosw (Online). 2007;61:253-60.
Review. Facts and fiction of phytotherapy for prostate cancer: a critical assessment of preclinical and clinical data. Von Löw EC, Perabo FG, Siener R, Müller SC. Department of Urology, University Hospital, Bonn, Germany. In Vivo. 2007 Mar-Apr;21(2):189-204.
