Red Wine: Elixir Of Life?

Cancer fighter

Scientists at the University of Virginia have found that resveratrol helps to starve cancer cells by inhibiting a key protein that feeds them. The protein, called nuclear factor-kappa B, is found in the nucleus of all cells and activates genes responsible for cell survival. ‘We used physiologically-relevant doses of resveratrol and found dramatic effects on human cancer cells,’ said Marty Mayo, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics.

The molecule resveratrol, which is thought to be responsible for the protective qualities of red wine.

Studies at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle found that the risk of prostate cancer may be halved by drinking a glass of red wine a day and that the protective effect is strongest against the most aggressive forms of the disease.

Regular drinkers can significantly reduce their risk of rectal cancer if wine makes up a third or more of weekly alcohol consumption, suggests research of Danish men and women published in Gut in 2003. Whilst the protective effect probably lies again in resveratrol, the authors also acknowledged the possible role of a healthy lifestyle.

A cure for Alzheimer’s?

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Manhattan have found that moderate consumption of the red wine Cabernet Sauvignon may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. The disease is a form of dementia that gradually destroys brain cells and impairs memory, the ability to learn, communicate and carry out day-to-day activities. When the wine was delivered into the drinking water of mice, it significantly reduced the deterioration of their spatial memory compared to mice who received only ethanol or water.

The study supports epidemiological evidence indicating that wine consumption, within guidelines of one drink per day for women and two for men, may help reduce the relative risk of clinical dementia associated with Alzheimer’s disease. No cures or effective preventive strategies currently exist and the results may represent hope for the estimated 12 million sufferers worldwide.

Again, resveratrol is thought to play a role in beating the disease. Researchers have identified that in the brains of Alzheimer’s sufferers, there is an accumulation of misfolded amyloid beta proteins. A study conducted in 2005 at the Litwin-Zucker Research Center, in New York showed that resveratrol lowered the levels of these proteins.