Red wine may cut colon-cancer risk

STONY BROOK, N.Y., March 14 (UPI) -- Red wine, but not white wine, protected against colorectal cancer in a recent U.S. study.

Three glasses of red wine a week reduced the risk of colorectal cancer by 68 percent, according to Dr. Joseph C. Anderson and colleagues at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Drinking white wine did not have a similar effect; the researchers suspect higher concentrations of the compound resveratrol in red wine may explain the protective effect.

Anderson compared the drinking habits of 360 red- and white-wine drinkers with similar lifestyles as part of a study examining the prevalence of colon cancer. The findings were presented at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.

The results are not conclusive and should be confirmed in future studies.

Despite this finding, screening for colorectal cancer is the most proven preventive measure against colon cancer, according to the American College of Gastroenterology.