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Scientists believe they now know exactly why polyphenols, such as those found in red wine and green tea, inhibit cancer growth. The antioxidants produce a combined effect to disrupt an important cell signaling pathway necessary for prostate cancer growth.

 

The SphK1/S1P signaling pathway plays a role both in prostate cancer and in other cancers such as colon cancer, breast cancer, and gastric cancers.

Eurekalert reports:

 

"Scientists conducted in vitro experiments which showed that the inhibition of the sphingosine kinase-1/sphingosine 1-phosphate (SphK1/S1P) pathway was essential for green tea and wine polyphenols to kill prostate cancer cells ... Human prostate cancer cells were implanted in the mice and results showed a dramatic decrease in tumor size in the mice drinking the EGCG or polyphenon E mixtures."

 

Red wine contains resveratrol, a polyphenol found in a number of plants, including grape skins, raspberries, mulberries and peanuts. Resveratrol deeply penetrates the center of your cell's nucleus, giving your DNA time to repair free radical damage. It also supports cell functions in your heart and brain so that you can help prevent the rampant spread of cancer cells at any stage.

 

Further, resveratrol's anti-inflammatory properties help prevent certain enzymes from forming that trigger tumor development. It also helps cut down cell reproduction, which helps reduce the number of cell divisions that could contribute to the progression of cancer cell growth, and may also reduce testosterone levels, which promote prostate cancer growth.Resveratrol is found in abundance in red wine, and it's highly soluble in alcohol, meaning your body may absorb more of it from red wine than from other sources. This may be why drinking a glass of red wine a day has been said to reduce men's prostate cancer risk by 50 percent.

 

Polyphenols Halt Prostate Cancer Growth

 

this is a great article if anybody is interested in this kind of thing, dr. mercola has sourced the research and summarized it quite nicely in his comments below if you want to read more