More Evidence That Red Wine Antioxidants Can Kill Cancer Cells

Antioxidants in grape skins and red wine can kill pancreatic cancer cells by getting into the center of the cell’s energy – the mitochondria- thereby disabling its function.

Such were the findings of a team from University of Rochester Medical Center.

The new study also showed that when the pancreatic cancer cells were doubly assaulted — pre-treated with the antioxidant, resveratrol, and irradiated — the combination induced a type of cell death called apoptosis, an important goal of cancer therapy.

Although red wine consumption during chemotherapy or radiation treatment has not been well studied, it is not “contraindicated,” Okunieff said. In other words, if a patient already drinks red wine moderately, most physicians would not tell the patient to give it up during treatment. Perhaps a better choice, Okunieff said, would be to drink as much red or purple grape juice as desired.

Antioxidants or not, I just love red wine (and grapes too!). Give me a bottle of a nice red wine…i can finish it all by myself in one sitting.

Read the full report at URMC.