A chemical contained in red wine may protect against cancer. Researchers at the University of Leicester are studying the effect of resveratrol, which has many potential health benefits.The new research will be presented at the Resveratrol 2012 conference, a university conference that focused on presenting and discussing evidence from 10 clinical trials of the substance. Years of research into the substance's effectiveness in preventing heart disease, cancer and diabetes will be revealed, as well as recommendations for next year's scientific research.
The benefits of resveratrol have long been known, but there is not enough concrete evidence to support the claims. For this reason, its use is currently not recommended. Previous research has essentially suggested that resveratrol may lead to treatments for vascular and metabolic diseases.
Scientists developed models in the laboratory to identify any benefits of a daily amount of resveratrol in 2 glasses of wine and found that the daily amount can reduce the percentage of intestinal tumors by about 50%.
Professor Karen Brown said that at the University of Leicester, they want to find out how resveratrol could work to prevent cancer in humans. Having seen in the laboratory that it can reduce tumor growth they are now concentrating on identifying the mechanisms by which the substance acts on human cells.
The next step is to conduct clinical trials to understand more about the substance and to know which amount of resveratrol is most effective in humans and whether there are drugs that react to the substance.
Brown said that many people take resveratrol as a supplement but so far we do not know how it works until we have more information. We do not know even the best dose. It has been shown that high doses of resveratrol may potentially interfere with other drugs. The professor estimates that we will have a clearer picture in the coming years.
Source: iatronet.gr