Grape powder blocks genes linked to co...(suggests that substances in grapes can b...),Health

The resveratrol chemical is found naturally in grape skins, wine and also in peanuts. It is unclear why resveratrol alone was not as effective, but Holcombe believes that other grape chemicals may supplement or boost resveratrols efficacy.

Eighty grams of grape powder equal a half glass of wine or 1 pound of grapes, which is equivalent to three dietary servings of grapes, according to the USDA. Holcombe and his colleagues are currently designing a clinical cancer prevention study to see how a daily diet of 1 pound of grapes affects Wnt signaling.

This study follows an epidemiological survey by Holcombe, Dr. Jason Zell, assistant clinical professor of medicine at UC Irvine, and Dr. Hoda Anton-Culver, chair of epidemiology and director of UC Irvines Cancer Surveillance Program. In this study of 499 colorectal cancer patients, they found that moderate wine consumption before developing colon cancer was associated with improved survival outcomes among those patients with family history of colorectal cancer.

The researchers found that 75 percent of such patients were alive after 10 years of initial diagnosis, compared to 47 percent of such patients who did not regularly drink wine. Study results appeared in the October 2007 issue of Nutrition and Cancer.

Our epidemiologic study suggests that wine consumption may influence survival among a subset of colorectal cancer patients, specifically those with family history of the disease, Zell said. These findings could reflect unique genetic and environmental interactions among familial colorectal cancer patients, but further studies are needed to test this theory. Studies such as Dr. Holcombes with grape powder extract and resveratrol are important as they offer potential explanations for our findings.

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