Red wine may help protect the prostate

SEATTLE, May 23 (UPI) -- Wine drinking has been linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer, but red wine has the bigger impact, say Seattle researchers.

The researchers collected information about many factors that might influence the risk of prostate cancer in men between the ages of 40 and 64. At first the results for alcohol consumption seemed similar to the findings of many earlier studies -- there was no relationship between overall consumption and risk.

However, the scientists went one step further by evaluating each type of alcoholic beverage independently, and found that for every additional glass of red wine per week, the relative risk declined by 6 percent, according to the June issue of Harvard Men's Health Watch.

The researchers speculate that chemicals in wine -- including various flavonoids and resveratrol -- missing from other alcoholic beverages have antioxidant properties, and some appear to counterbalance androgens, the male hormones that stimulate the prostate.