How Red Wine Helps Prevent Cancer

What’s the Latest Development?

Researchers from around the world recently gathered at the University of Leicester to celebrate red wine, or more specifically, a chemical compound called resveratrol which is found in the skin of red grapes. The chemical is proving to have substantial health benefits. “Researchers at the University of Leicester have been researching the levels of resveratrol which can be beneficial in preventing cancer. Using laboratory models, they have found that a daily amount of resveratrol equivalent to two glasses of wine can halve the rate of bowel tumors.”

What’s the Big Idea?

Professor Karen Brown, who helped to organize the recent conference, said research on resveratrol will now concentrate on how the chemical can be taken to benefit human health: “At the University of Leicester, we want to see how resveratrol might work to prevent cancer in humans. Having shown in our lab experiments that it can reduce tumor development, we are now concentrating on identifying the mechanisms of how resveratrol works in human cells.” While resveratrol is currently available as a health supplement, high doses may potentially interfere with other medication, emphasizing the importance of continuing research. 

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