@wedwardes on #Wine #Curry and more: Red Wine Cuts Breast Cancer

Thursday, 12 January 2012

Red Wine Cuts Breast Cancer - and also Prostate Cancer

Apparently moderate consumption of red wine leads to a reduction of Breast Cancer in women.

According to a summary of the report published by the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center "Moderate Red Wine Drinking May Help Cut Women's Breast Cancer Risk":

Drinking red wine in moderation may reduce one of the risk factors for breast cancer, providing a natural weapon to combat a major cause of death among U.S. women, new research from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center shows.

The study, published online in the Journal of Women’s Health, challenges the widely-held belief that all types of alcohol consumption heighten the risk of developing breast cancer. Doctors long have determined that alcohol increases the body’s estrogen levels, fostering the growth of cancer cells.

But the Cedars-Sinai study found that chemicals in the skins and seeds of red grapes slightly lowered estrogen levels while elevating testosterone among premenopausal women who drank eight ounces of red wine nightly for about a month.

White wine lacked the same effect.

Researchers called their findings encouraging, saying women who occasionally drink alcohol might want to reassess their choices.

“If you were to have a glass of wine with dinner, you may want to consider a glass of red,” said Chrisandra Shufelt, MD, assistant director of the Women’s Heart Center at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and one of the study’s co-authors. “Switching may shift your risk.”

In the Cedars-Sinai study, 36 women were randomized to drink either Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay daily for almost a month, then switched to the other type of wine. Blood was collected twice each month to measure hormone levels.

Researchers sought to determine whether red wine mimics the effects of aromatase inhibitors, which play a key role in managing estrogen levels. Aromatase inhibitors are currently used to treat breast cancer.

Investigators said the change in hormone patterns suggested that red wine may stem the growth of cancer cells, as has been shown in test tube studies.

Co-author Glenn D. Braunstein, MD, said the results do not mean that white wine increases the risk of breast cancer but that grapes used in those varieties may lack the same protective elements found in reds.

“There are chemicals in red grape skin and red grape seeds that are not found in white grapes that may decrease breast cancer risk,” said Braunstein, vice president for Clinical Innovation and the James R. Klinenberg, MD, Chair in Medicine.

Full Summary

There is an interesting finding here:

"... elevating testosterone among premenopausal women who drank eight ounces of red wine nightly for about a month. "

If that is the case what about Men and Prostate Cancer? Isn't increased testosterone correlated with Prostate Cancer? So by logic Red Wine should increase the likelihood of Prostate Cancer.

But other research shows that Red Wine in fact decreases the risk of Prostate Cancer. Harvard Men’s Health Watch in "Attention men: the benefits of red wine" says:

Researchers have found that men who drink an average of four to seven glasses of red wine per week are only 52% as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer as those who do not drink red wine. In addition, red wine appears particularly protective against advanced or aggressive cancers.

Researchers in Seattle collected information about many factors that might influence the risk of prostate cancer in men between ages 40 and 64, including alcohol consumption.

At first the results for alcohol consumption seemed similar to the findings of many earlier studies: There was no relationship between overall consumption and risk. But the scientists went one step further by evaluating each type of alcoholic beverage independently. Here the news was surprising—wine drinking was linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer. And when white wine was compared with red, red had the most benefit. Even low amounts seemed to help, and for every additional glass of red wine per week, the relative risk declined by 6%.

Why red wine? Doctors don’t know. But much of the speculation focuses on chemicals—including various flavonoids and resveratrol—missing from other alcoholic beverages. These components have antioxidant properties, and some appear to counterbalance androgens, the male hormones that stimulate the prostate.

Many doctors are reluctant to recommend drinking alcohol for health, fearing that their patients might assume that if a little alcohol is good, a lot might be better. The Harvard Men’s Health Watch notes that men who enjoy alcohol and can drink in moderation and responsibly may benefit from a lower risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and cardiac death.

The studies seem a bit contradictory.

" ... These components have antioxidant properties, and some appear to counterbalance androgens, ..."

Never mind. Life is too short. Enjoy a red wine. Maybe a rosé wine as well. And perhaps white wines.

I suspect that wine just gives pleasure and it is that pleasure that reduces cancer.
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The research on red wine and breast cancer was published in Journal of Women's Health: Red Versus White Wine as a Nutritional Aromatase Inhibitor in Premenopausal Women

Chrisandra Shufelt, C. Noel Bairey Merz, YuChing Yang, Joan Kirschner, Donna Polk, Frank Stanczyk, Maura Paul-Labrador, and Glenn D. Braunstein. Journal of Women's Health. doi:10.1089/jwh.2011.3001.

Abstract

Background: An increased risk of breast cancer is associated with alcohol consumption; however, it is controversial whether red wine increases this risk. Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) prevent the conversion of androgens to estrogen and occur naturally in grapes, grape juice, and red, but not white wine. We tested whether red wine is a nutritional AI in premenopausal women.

Methods: In a cross-over design, 36 women (mean age [SD], 36 [8] years) were assigned to 8 ounces (237 mL) ofred wine daily then white wine for 1 month each, or the reverse. Blood was collected twice during the menstrualcycle for measurement of estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), androstenedione (A), total and free testosterone (T), sexhormone binding globulin (SHBG), luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH).

Results: Red wine demonstrated higher free T vs. white wine (mean difference 0.64 pg/mL [0.2 SE], p = 0.009)and lower SHBG (mean difference - 5.0 nmol/L [1.9 SE], p = 0.007). E2 levels were lower in red vs. white winebut not statistically signiﬁcant. LH was signiﬁcantly higher in red vs. white wine (mean difference 2.3 mIU/mL[1.3 SE], p = 0.027); however, FSH was not.

Conclusion: Red wine is associated with signiﬁcantly higher free T and lower SHBG levels, as well as a signiﬁcant higher LH level vs. white wine in healthy premenopausal women. These data suggest that red wine is a nutritional AI and may explain the observation that red wine does not appear to increase breast cancer risk.