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Researchers say the antioxidant found in resveratrol,
appears to work by targeting the cancer cell's energy source from within
and crippling it. When combined with radiation, treatment with resveratrol
prior to radiation also induces cell death, an important goal of cancer
treatment.
Although resveratrol might reduce pancreatic cancer's
resistance to chemotherapy, the impact of red wine consumption on chemotherapy
remains unclear to the scientists.
Dr. Paul Okunieff, MD, chief of radiation oncology at
the University of Rochester Medical Center, says red wine consumption
during chemotherapy or radiation treatment has not been well studied,
but it's not prohibited. ’If a cancer patient already drinks red
wine moderately, most physicians wouldn't tell the patient to give it
up’, says Paul. But perhaps a better choice might be to drink as
much red or purple grape juice,
"The challenge lies in finding the right concentration
and how it works inside the cell. In this case, we've discovered an important
part of that equation. Resveratrol seems to have a therapeutic gain by
making tumor cells more sensitive to radiation and making normal tissue
less sensitive, says the scientist who believes that the research ahs
become very active in this area."
Researchers examined the effects of a 50 microgram/milliliter
dose of resveratrol on pancreatic
cancer cells alone and in combination with radiation treatment. By
comparison, the resveratrol concentration in red wine can be as high as
30 micrograms/milliliter.
The results showed that resveratrol had a variety of potentially valuable
anti-cancer effects, including:
• Making the cancer cells more sensitive to chemotherapy
by hampering proteins that resist treatment
• Triggering cancer cell death
• Injuring the cancer cell's energy source and decreasing its potential
to function
The report carries the customary warning that additional studies are needed.
However, this research does indicate that resveratrol has a promising
future as part of the treatment for cancer
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