Recent studies suggest that red wine may help protect against breast cancer, and now, researchers have discovered that it may also help improve the effectiveness of certain drugs in treating the disease, reports the Daily Mail.
Rapamycin has been used in breast cancer clinical trials to inhibit cell growth, however, over time, the cells appear to build up a resistance to the drug.
A powerful antioxidant found in red wine – as well as grapes, raspberries, cranberries and peanuts – resveratrol helps planst fight off fungal and baceterial infections.
Researchers conducted laboratory tests and found that resveratrol, a natural compound in red wine, helped suppress the growth of the drug-resistant cancer cells, allowing the treatment to once again become more effective.
“Our findings show resveratrol seems to mitigate rapamycin-induced drug resistance in breast cancers, at least in the laboratory,” said Professor Charis Eng of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Once the results of the clinical trial are confirmed, the finding could help thousands of women each year.
The polyphenol chemicals found in a glass of red wine have also been linked to anti-aging properties. Newer research suggests that the antioxidant actually activates a tumor-suppressing gene.