Red wine: a promise against cancer?

By Uche Akolisa

The debate for the link between red wine and cancer prevention is still on and has showed no sign of going away anytime soon. Just like what Nigerians witnessed during the Ebola crisis in which many took to salt water and bitter kola to prevent contacting the deadly virus; many will soon be drinking themselves to stupor if not soaking themselves in a pool of red wine with the growing news that red wine can help prevent cancer.

According to an investigator at the university of Colorado cancer center and professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics at the CU school of Medicine, Robert Sclafani, the findings from an experiment carried out by his team revealed that the chemical ‘resveratrol’ found in grape skins and in red wine may prevent cancer as it suppresses carcinogens in the body.

“We focused on head and neck cancer and saw that alcohol bombards your genes. And if you consume high quantities of alcohol, eventually some damage isn’t fixed. But, the alcohol that had the lowest effect on the body was red wine. So, the idea was that there must be something in the red wine that is counteracting the effect of the alcohol. And we’ve proven that it’s resveratrol”, Sclafani said

He further explained that the mice used in experiment were given cancer but when the chemo-preventive compounds found in red wine was introduced into the mice’s system, the tumors shrank and it prevented others from growing.

Dr Sclafon is optimistic that if patients with high chances of developing cancer are given concentrated doses of these substances, it will serve as a substitute for chemotherapy.

“Being able to counteract the pre-cancerous cells with a mild medicine would be a great alternative in treating these high-risk patients. Those who are dealing with head and neck cancer in particular often face major surgery that alters their physical appearance. Using this method would hopefully help reduce the tumors that would need to be removed.”

Nutrition expert, Mrs. Hope Bello maintains that red wine is not only a good treatment for cancer but also a good medicine for the heart insisting that moderation should always be the watchword.

“A glass of red wine once in a while is advisable because it contains resveratrol which is good for the heart and anything that has antioxidant protects the cells from damage. Since red wine contains resveratrol, its can assist in treating cancer”, Bello said.

However, the Head of Radiotherapy and Oncology department in College of Medicine and Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Professor Remi Ajekigbe thinks differently as he continues to canvass for early presentation as the only cure for cancer.

“Anyone can say anything they want to say about cancer but the fact still remains that if cancer is not detected early before it spreads, there is no hope. People should cultivate the habit of going for regular screening and examination because late presentation most of the time leads to disaster”

Whether red wine takes care of cancer or not, caution must be exercised and consumption if need be should be in moderation as always advised. One can never get enough of exercise, regular checkups and screening in addition to adopting and avoiding certain foods and lifestyles that are known to increase one’s risk of developing cancer.