Resveratrol is a chemical that occurs naturally in grapes, red wine, peanuts and certain types of berries. Resveratrol falls under the category of polyphenolic compounds, which have potent antioxidant properties. After the discovery of resveratrol in red wine during the 1990s, some doctors postulated that it might be the factor underlying the health benefits of red wine. Since that time, researchers have been investigating the health benefits of resveratrol, including its potential to prevent colon cancer.
Preventing Colon Cancer in Humans
While resveratrol has shown promising results in laboratory experiments, it has not yet been tested in any large-scale human trials for treating colon cancer or other types of cancer. An initial clinical trial involving twelve subjects is currently underway at the University of California, Irvine, reports ClinicalTrials.gov. Even though evidence from the laboratory is encouraging, until trials are conducted in humans, the efficacy of resveratrol for treating colon cancer remains unknown.
Preventing Cancer in Animals
Although trials in humans have not yet been completed, several studies in animals have found that resveratrol helps reduce colon cancer in rats, according to an article published in the June 2006 issue of "Nature Reviews Drug Discovery." Furthermore, one study found that even low doses of resveratrol that could result from normal dietary intake of fruit and red wine showed protective results. However, because rats are very different than humans, there is no guarantee that resveratrol will have similar results in humans.
Antioxidant Activity
The antioxidant activity of resveratrol may help prevent colon cancer, because many cancers are thought to result from damage caused by oxidizing molecules. Resveratrol can act as an antioxidant agent, meaning it can protect the cells in your body from damage caused by oxidizing agents such as free radicals. These oxidizing agents are normal byproducts of cellular metabolism, and they tend to accumulate inside your cells over time. Several laboratory studies suggest that resveratrol neutralizes these damaging oxidizing agents and helps prevent oxidative damage in the colon, lungs, kidneys and other organs, reports the Nature Reviews Drug Discovery article.
Killing Cancer Cells
Another method by which resveratrol may prevent colon cancer is by triggering cancer cells to self-destruct, a process known as apoptosis. When cells become damaged and start to grow out of control, built-in safety mechanisms normally trigger them to self-destruct. One of the factors that contributes to tumor growth is break down of these safety mechanisms, which prevents damaged cells from triggering self-destruction. Numerous laboratory experiments have found that resveratrol can trigger apoptosis in different types of human cancer cells, including colon cancer, explains the article published in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. If resveratrol has the same effect inside the human body as in a test tube, it may help destroy cancer cells.
References
- "Nature Reviews Drug Discovery"; Therapeutic Potential of Resveratrol: the in vivo Evidence; Joseph A. Baur and David A. Sinclair; June 2006
- Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University: Resveratrol
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Resveratrol for Patients With Colon Cancer
- Quackwatch.org: Resveratrol: Don't Buy the Hype
