Red wine protects from colon cancer

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

According to a new study, consuming three or more glasses of red wine a week may help to reduce the risk of colon cancer.
There is great interest in how diet and lifestyle might be able to ward off cancers, including colon cancer. The American College of Gastroenterology now presents a round-up of the latest information on this issue. They point to a recent study from researchers at SUNY Stony Brook which compared the drinking habits of red and white wine drinkers with similar lifestyles as part of a study examining the prevention of colon cancer.

They found that drinking red wine reduced the risk of colon cancer by 68 per cent while drinking white wine did not. The researchers believe it is the resveratrol in red wine that provides the protection. In other studies, researchers have learned that taking 1,000 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D a day could reduce the risk of colon cancer. Those with a serum vitamin D level of 33 nanograms per milliliter or more were 50 per cent less likely to develop colon cancer compared to those whose levels were 12 nanograms per milliliter or lower. Moreover, taking calcium supplements decreases the risk of recurring colon cancer for five years after treatment; 31 per cent of those who had taken calcium had recurrences compared with 43 per cent of those in the placebo group.

Source
American College of Gastroenterology 13th March 2007

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