Wine May Benefit Radiation Treatment Patients
Posted on: Wednesday, 2 September 2009, 13:15 CDT
A new study in women with breast cancer found that drinking red wine could help limit the toxic effects of radiation therapy, Reuters reported.
Dr. Gabriella Macchia, of Catholic University, Campobasso, Italy, called the possibility that particular dietary practices or interventions could reduce radiation-induced toxicity is “very intriguing”.
Experts have long known that some wine components, like polyphenols and tannins, may protect against the harmful effects of radiation.
Macchia and colleagues studied the potential protective effects of varying levels of self-reported red wine consumption in 348 women treated with radiation therapy after breast cancer surgery.
Macchia said the findings were "interesting".
The results showed that the incidence of radiation-induced skin toxicity was 38.4 percent in non-drinkers, 31.8 percent in women drinking only half a glass of wine daily, 13.6 percent in those drinking one glass daily, and 35 percent in those drinking two glasses daily.
The study noted that women who drank only one glass daily had a much lower risk of suffering skin effects from radiation therapy, as their risk of significant skin toxicity was about 75 percent less than that in non-drinkers.
Macchia said if wine can prevent radiation-induced toxicity without affecting antitumor efficacy, it also has the potential to enhance the therapeutic benefit in cancer patients without increasing the risk of serious adverse effects.
She concluded that the possible protective effect of wine, assessed only in women with breast cancer, should also be evaluated in male and female patients with other types of tumors (e.g., prostate carcinoma) who are undergoing radiotherapy.
Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports
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User Comments (1)
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Posted by Margaret Brown on 09/04/2009, 17:48 I find it curious that 31.8 percent in women drinking only half a glass of wine daily, 13.6 percent in those drinking one glass daily, and 35 percent in those drinking two glasses daily. Why would it be higher with two glasses a day when 1 1/2 glasses brings it down to 13.6 percent. Can you explain this to me? Thank you. |
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