Red Wine and the Cancer Connection

Dec. 8, 2014 – The news is good but as always, there are caveats.

A team at the University of Colorado Cancer Center led by Robert Sclafani, PhD, has determined the how and why a compound in red wine has a favorable effect on head and neck cancers.

The compound is resveratrol about which much had been written. It is generally believed to be healthful but until now, no one has explained exactly how it works. Dr. Sclafani describes it best: “Alcohol bombards your genes. Your body has ways to repair this damage, but with enough alcohol eventually some damage isn’t fixed. That’s why excessive alcohol use is a factor in head and neck cancer. Now, resveratrol challenges these cells – the ones with unrepaired DNA damage are killed, so they can’t go on to cause cancer. Alcohol damages cells and resveratrol kills damaged cells.” Robert Sclafani is professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics at the CU School of Medicine.

Research on a rare genetic disorder called Fanconi anemia found that the damage caused to the body’s DNA is very similar to the effects of alcohol on DNA. Dr. Sclafani regularly attends the Fanconi Anemia Research Foundation and has presented papers there. The exact process is clearly described in an article by Garth Sundem writing In The Clinic, a blog of the University of Colorado Cancer Center http://www.coloradocancerblogs.org/study-red-wine-prevents-cancer/

Epidemiological studies of head and neck cancer by type of alcohol consumed showed the lowest incidence is in people who drink red wine. Sclafani deduced there’s something in red wine that blocks the cancer-causing effect of alcohol. Bring in the mice.

Experiments with mice that were given cancer and then treated with compounds from red wine, showed that the tumors shrank and other tumors were prevented from growing. Resveratrol was given the credit. The more you drink the more a specific type of cancer causing DNA damage occurs. Resveratrol wipes out the highly damaged cells that are most likely to cause cancer.

So it might be accurate to say red wine prevents cancer but it comes with the caution of moderation. One more thing, taking resveratrol pills or drinking other kinds of alcohol, including white wine, won’t help at all so raise your glass of red wine and enjoy.