Red wine reduces prostate cancer risk

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Men who drink red wine have a significantly reduced risk of developing prostate cancer, according to a new study.
The benefits of moderate consumption of red wine on heart health are well known. Now a study from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle reveals that red wine can also reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

The researchers looks at a group of 753 patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer and compared them with 703 control subjects. All were asked about alcohol consumption. No link was found between total alcohol consumption and prostate cancer risk. But red wine was found to have a protective impact. For each additional glass of red wine consumed per week, the relative risk of prostate cancer went down by six per cent, the researchers say. It is probably the impact of flavonoids in red wine that inhibit tumor cell growth. Further research is now needed into how flavonoids in other foods might help protect against prostate cancer.

Source
International Journal of Cancer 1st January 2005

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