Resveratrol

Resveratrol, a phytoalexin produced in grapes, cranberries, and peanuts, has been tagged as a possible answer to stopping cancer. Studies involving carcinogens and how you can reduce your risk of cancer with resveratrol may have found the reason behind this amazing discovery.

Breast cancer, a disease that is currently on the watch list for the top cancer ailment for women, may be arrested at the early stages of development by resveratrol. In Nebraska, scientists have found out that it acts at the first step of breast cancer prevention.

The reason why women are more prone to this type of cancer is because of the amount of estrogen in the female body. Estrogen binds to DNA, harms it and this may lead to the DNA being unable to produce genes that combat cancer. Resveratrol seems to block estrogen from doing this via stimulating the formation of quinone reductase, an enzyme that keeps estrogen inactive. Aside from breast cancer, resveratrol has the capacity to inhibit other forms of cancer such as colon cancer, neuroblastoma, esophageal cancer, leukemia, liver cancer, lung cancer, and prostate cancer among others.

The prevention of cancer by an intake of resveratrol is one of the most exciting research fields right now. Aside from seemingly being able to “prevent” cancer cells from forming, resveratrol could be an ally in the treatment of cancer as well. Resveratrol not only blocks cancer cells from forming, it also has the capability to alter existing mutant genes that result from damaged DNA. Plus, resveratrol has also been found to react to almost all types of cancer cells regardless of composition.

Parallel to these findings, this compound can also be called upon to maximize the effects of certain cancer treatments like chemotherapy. In breast cancer treatment wherein vitamin D3 is converted to a steroid that halts the growth of cancer cells, resveratrol infusion makes vitamin D more potent. It can also make some resistant cancer cell become more vulnerable to chemotherapeutic medications.

Another cancer by-product is the metastasis to the bones of cancer cells. Austrian researches have shown that one of resveratrol’s cancer fighting abilities is to cancel and prevent cancer cells from worming their way to the bones.

Moreover, you can reduce your risk of cancer with resveratrol because it fights against a prime ingredient in our diets called linoleic acid. This acid promotes inflammation of hormone-like compounds in the body that can contribute to the fast growth of cancer cells.

Scientists are also amazed by another unique characteristic; it only acts on cancer cells and not the good cells in our body. It looks like resveratrol has the capacity to identify a dangerous cancer cell, even at its early stages of development and stop them from growing and spreading.

It does not induce or catalyze any processes that may damage the normal cells in the body. In fact, resveratrol protects them. Although resveratrol does eliminate free radicals that may cause cancer cells to sprout, it still has the complexity to not just remove anything in its path; resveratrol acts directly as a catalyst or an inhibitor to various enzymes, cells, genes, hormones and hormone-like substances, depending on what is necessary to put the cells back to their original state.