An in vitro study published in the FASED Journal (www.fasebj.com) indicates that red wine in conjunction with green tea is capable of slowing or perhaps stopping prostate cancer growth.   The underlying mechanism seems to point to the role that polyphenols, an antioxidant, play in cellular metabolism.  Polyphenols are a group of compounds that include, amongst others, resveratrol.

Scientists first conducted in vitro experiments which demonstrated that the inhibition of a vital metabolic pathway necessary for prostate cancer growth was essential.  Next, mice genetically altered to develop human prostate cancer were either treated or untreated with green tea and wine polyphenols.  The treated mice displayed reduced tumor growth, this the result of the inhibition of the pathway.

Finally researchers, using three groups of mice, allotted drinking water only for one, drinking water with one green tea compound for the second and drinking water with another green tea compound, called polyphenon, for the third.  Human prostate cancer cells implanted in the mice demonstrated a significant decrease in tumor size in mice drinking either of the green tea mixtures.  It should be noted that the vital metabolic pathway responsible for tumor growth in prostate cancer, also plays a role in other types of cancer such as colon, stomach and breast, possibly opening the door to the development of future drug therapies using polyphenols.  As usual, this all comes with a caveat that the results of the study should not be extrapolated to humans until studies confirm the results.  Nonetheless, we continue to observe both in vitro and some in vivo studies that suggest the possible benefits of polyphenols in humans.