UCI study supports anti-cancer role of grapes
December 3rd, 2007, 3:03 am · 2 Comments · posted by grobbins
There’s fresh evidence that grapes can play a significant role in warding off cancer.
UC Irvine researchers say in a new study that low doses of freeze-dried grape powder appears to “inhibit genes linked to the development of sporadic colorectal cancer … the third most common form of cancer.”
Irvine scientists say that the cellular signaling that occurs in most cases of sporadic colon cancer was “significantly reduced” in patients who drank a prescribed 80 grams of grape powder per day. The results were not as effective in patients who took a larger dose.
Researcher Randall Holcombe, who led the UCI study, said in a news release that the results involving the lower dose of grape powder are “truly exciting because it suggests that substances in grapes can block a key intracellular signaling pathway involved in the development of colon cancer before a tumor develops.”
Numerous studies have indicated that ingredients in grapes appear to have the ability to inhibit some forms of cancer and heart disease, as well as high cholesterol. Many of the studies have only involved mice. But there have been intriguing human studies, including a UCI study of 499 colorectal cancer patients that “found that moderate wine consumption before developing colon cancer was associated with improved survival outcomes among those patients with family history of colorectal cancer.” Holcombe, clinical director of UCI’s Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, also was involved in that study.
December 3rd, 2007 at 7:26 am
Resveratrol is an antibacterial and anti-fungal chemical produced by plants as a defense against infection by pathogens and it has also been produced by chemical synthesis. I am concerned that it may stimulate the growth of human breast cancer cells, because of resveratrol’s chemical structure, which is similar to a phytoestrogen. I also don’t understand why its benefits are not dose related. Before I get too excited about this finding I will wait until it is published in a peer reviewed journal.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Excellent observation by Mr. Turpin. Resveratrol does have estrogen-like activity so caution needs to be utilized in regard to breast cancer. Also, in the grape study, the compounds used actually have a very small amount of resveratrol, suggesting that the effects on the signaling pathway which we evaluated may be due to the combination of resveratrol with other bioactive grape components rather than resveratrol alone. The results were presented at the Society of Integrative Oncology meetings in November and have been submitted for publication in a peer-review journal. The wine study was recently published in Nutrition and Cancer.