Chemical found in red wine could help prevent bowel cancer

A glass of a nice red can leave you feeling a pleasant glow and lift the spirits.

The positive vibe, however, could last a lot longer and even be a life-saver as a chemical found in wine could help prevent bowel cancer.

Resveratrol, a natural compound in red grapes, blueberries, raspberries and peanuts, will form part of a major trial.

Researchers are recruiting 1,300 patients for the “unique experiment” across 60 locations in England and Wales in one of the biggest-ever studies into preventative therapeutics.

Experts say it could have “big implications” for those at risk of the disease. The study will recruit people aged 50 to 73 found to have polyps during the NHS bowel screening programme.

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

The polyps will be removed with patients given aspirin or a combination of aspirin and diabetes drug metformin for three years.

Others will take purified resveratrol or a placebo for a year. All patients will then be examined to check whether the polyps have started growing again.

Professor Karen Brown, of the University of Leicester, said: “We are embarking on a unique experiment to see how drugs could stop bowel polyps from growing.

“This trial could have big 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 progress in picking up bowel cancers in those most at risk. But we need to prevent more bowel cancers emerging in the first place.”

The disease is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with an estimated 44,000 people a year diagnosed. Previous research has found that purified resveratrol in small doses can hinder the growth of cancer cells.

The study is being funded by Cancer Research UK. Dr Iain Foulkes, its executive director of research and innovation, said: “This opens the door to a new era of cancer research where cancer becomes much more preventable through cutting-edge science.

“The insights gained will change how we think about cancer prevention and give more people the chance of longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.”