Red Wine May Protect Against Prostate Cancer

Seattle researchers reported in Harvard Men's Health Watch that men who consumed an average of four to seven glasses of red wine per week were only 52% as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer as those who did not drink red wine.

The study, conducted on men between the ages of 40 and 64, at first seemed to confirm previous research done on the consumption of alcohol - that there was no relationship between overall consumption and the risk of prostate cancer.

But when the results were separated by the type of alcohol consumed, wine drinking was correlated with a reduced prostate cancer risk. And of those, red wine was the most beneficial. In addition, even low amounts of red wine consumption had a beneficial effect with each additional glass contributing a relative risk decline of 6%.

Researchers are not sure what exactly it is about red wine that confers these benefits, although it is speculated that compounds like flavonoids and resveratrol have antioxidant properties that counterbalance androgens - the male hormones that stimulate the prostate.

Before you run out to the nearest wine store or supermarket to stock up - remember that moderation in all foods and beverages is the key to overall good health and can lower the risk of a heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers.

 

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