How a key ingredient in red wine can keep us from getting colon cancer

A chemical found in wine could help prevent colon cancer, scientists believe.

Resveratrol, a natural substance found mainly in red grapes, but also in blueberries, raspberries and peanuts, will be part of a large-scale study to see if it can stop the development of cancer.

Researchers are recruiting 1,300 patients over the coming years for the ‘unique experiment’ at 60 sites in England and Wales in one of the largest ever trials of preventive therapies.

Experts say this could have ‘major consequences’ for people at risk of the disease.

The study will recruit people aged between 50 and 73 who are found to have bowel polyps during screening as part of the NHS bowel screening programme.

Scientists say a chemical in wine may help prevent colon cancer (file image)

Resveratrol, a natural compound found mainly in red grapes, will be part of a large-scale study to see if it can stop the development of cancer (file image)

These are small growths that are usually not serious, but can develop into cancer if left untreated.

The polyps will be removed while patients receive aspirin alone or a combination of aspirin and metformin for the main examination.

Others will use purified resveratrol or a placebo as part of a substudy.

Those in the aspirin and metformin groups will take the drugs daily for three years, while those taking resveratrol or the placebo will take it for a year.

All patients then receive a colonoscopy – where a long thin tube with a camera allows doctors to look into the colon – to determine whether the polyps have started growing again.

Professor Karen Brown from the University of Leicester said: ‘We are embarking on a unique experiment to see how drugs can stop the growth of colon polyps.

‘This trial could have major implications for how we prevent bowel cancer in people who are most likely to develop the disease as they get older.

‘Screening has made huge strides in detecting bowel cancer in those most at risk.

‘But to further improve outcomes, we must prevent more cases of bowel cancer from developing in the first place.

“We can advance these efforts by embracing therapeutic prevention, which uses our growing knowledge of cancer biology to find drugs that can stop cancer in its earliest stages.”

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in Britain, with an estimated 44,000 people developing the disease every year (or around 120 per day).

Researchers will recruit 1,300 patients over the coming years for the ‘unique experiment’ at 60 sites in England and Wales (file image)

Experts say this could have ‘major consequences’ for people at risk of the disease (file image)

It is not always known what causes this, but the NHS advises people to exercise regularly, eat more fruit and vegetables, drink less alcohol and stop smoking to reduce their risk.

Previous research has shown that purified resveratrol can hinder the growth of cancer cells in small doses.

Colon cancer screening is also offered every two years to everyone between the ages of 54 and 74.

People receive faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) kits – which look for blood in poo – through the post so they can collect the sample at home.

Dr. Iain Foulkes, executive director of research and innovation at Cancer Research UK, which is funding the trial, said: ‘This trial opens the door to a new era of cancer research, where cancer becomes much more preventable through cutting-edge science.

‘The Colo-Prevent study is one of the largest therapeutic prevention trials in the UK.

‘The insights from the trial will change the way we think about cancer prevention and give more people the chance to live a longer, better life, free from the fear of cancer.’