Chemical in red wine, fruits and vegetables stops
cancer, heart disease, depending on the dose
Research in the FASEB Journal lays the groundwork
for safe, new cancer therapy.
The next cancer drug might come straight from the grocery store,
according to new research published in the November 2007 issue of The
FASEB Journal. In the study, French scientists describe how high and low
doses of polyphenols have different effects. Most notably, they found
that very high doses of antioxidant polyphenols shut down and prevent
cancerous tumors by cutting off the formation of new blood vessels
needed for tumor growth. Polyphenols are commonly found in red wine,
fruits, vegetables, and green tea.
At relatively low doses, the French researchers found that the same
polyphenols play a beneficial role for those with diseased hearts and
circulatory systems by facilitating blood vessel growth. The amount of
polyphenols necessary for this effect was found to be the equivalent
of only one glass of red wine per day or simply sticking to a healthy
diet of fruits and vegetables containing polyphenols. This diet is
known as the �Mediterranean Diet.� This study also adds to a growing
body of research showing dose-dependent relationships for many types
of commonly used compounds. For instance, research published in the
October 2006 issue of The FASEB Journal shows that aspirin, through
different mechanisms, also has a dose-dependent relationship for heart
disease and cancer.
"When it comes to finding treatments for complex diseases, the answers
are sometimes right there waiting to be discovered in unexpected
places like the produce aisles and wine racks of the nearest store,�
said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal.
�But it takes modern science to isolate the pure compound, test it in
the lab, and to go on from there to find new agents to fight disease.�
According to the authors, the amount of polyphenols necessary to
obtain an anti-cancer effect is the equivalent of drinking about a
bottle of red wine each day. This amount of daily alcohol consumption
obviously is unhealthy, but the research suggests that polyphenols
extracted from plants or red wine could be converted into a pill that
is highly likely to be safe. Such a pill also would be relatively easy
and inexpensive to create and deliver.
�The use of plant polyphenols as therapeutic tools presents important
advantages,� said Daniel Henrion, senior author of the study, �because
they have a good safety profile, a low cost and they can be obtained
everywhere on the planet.�
Further Information and Source:
-
Celine Baron-Menguy, Arnaud Bocquet, Anne-Laure Guihot, Daniel
Chappard, Marie-Joseph Amiot, Ramaroson Andriantsitohaina, Laurent
Loufrani and Daniel Henrion: Effects of red wine polyphenols on postischemic
neovascularization model in rats: low doses are proangiogenic, high
doses anti-angiogenic.
In: The FASEB Journal;
2007; 21; 3511-3521; doi 10.1096/fj.06-7782com
-
The FASEB Journal (www.fasebj.org) is published
by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)
and is consistently ranked among the top three biology journals
worldwide by the Institute for Scientific Information. FASEB
comprises 21 nonprofit societies with more than 80,000 members,
making it the largest coalition of biomedical research associations
in the United States. FASEB advances biological science through
collaborative advocacy for research policies that promote scientific
progress and education and lead to improvements in human health.