In what may lead to a key advance for treating prostate cancer, researchers now know exactly why polyphenol antioxidants in green tea and red wine inhibit the growth of cancers. Explained in these new findings, publicized in the FASEB Journal online, is how the antioxidants in green tea and red wine produce a dual effect to interfere with a signaling cell pathway that is necassery for the growth of prostate cancer. This discovery is important since it might lead to development of medications that could halt or slow down cancer progression, or enhance present treatments.
“Not just does the SphK1/S1P pathway signaling play a part in prostate cancer, but it plays a part in other cancers too, like colon cancer, gastric cancers and breast cancer,”
stated Gerald Weismann, MD, chief editor of the FASEB online journal. “Even if research in the future shows that the benefits of green tea and red wine drinking is not as beneficial for humans as we have hoped, knowing which compounds in these beverages that interfere with this pathway is an all important step forward for developing medications that strike the exact same target.”
Researchers undertook in vitro experiments which demonstrated that inhibiting the sphingosine 1-phosphate/sphingosine kinase-1 (S1P/SphK1) pathway is essential for red wine and green tea polyphenol antioxidants to kill cancerous prostate cells. Following that, mice genetically modified to develop human prostate cancer tumors were either not treated or treated with wine and green tea polyphenol antioxidants. The mice treated displayed a reduction in tumor growth as a direct result of the inhibited S1P/SphK1 pathway. To mimic these preventative benefits of polyphenol antioxidants, another experiment was conducted. Three groups of mice were given drinking water containing a specific kind of green tea polpyphenol called EGCG, drinking water containing a different green tea polyphenol called polyphenon E, or just plain drinking water. The mice were implanted with human prostate cancer cells and the results demonstrated a dramatic reduction in tumor size in the mice given the water containing EGCG or polyphenon E.
“The profound effect that these antioxidants in green tea and red wine have within our bodies is a lot more that anybody could have dreamed of just twenty-five years ago.” Weismann added. “So long as they are used moderately, all the signs show that green tea and red wine may be ranked amongst the most powerful ‘health foods’ that we know about.”
The act and art of creating a delicious meal accompanied by our favorite glass of wine is something most of us take for granted. We choose the recipe from a cookbook or our favorite website, gather the ingredients at the grocery store, and come home for an evening of preparation. We sip a glass of wine as we prepare our food and bring our creation to the table when it’s complete.
During the process of making and enjoying our food and wine, it’s unlikely that we think about the fine motor skills that are required in each of those steps.
I recently read an article from an occupational therapy schools graduate, Estelle, who uses cooking as a therapeutic tool with her occupational therapy patients. There are so many different skills and types of movement that are involved in cooking: chopping, slicing, opening, removing, stirring. All of these little details can help train and retrain occupational therapy patients in all sorts of movements. Consider an automobile accident patient who fractured his arm; cooking can help him use muscles that will help him regain mobility and strength. Cooking can also be used as a fun and tasty motivator to a child with a learning disability. There’s nothing better than getting to enjoy the fruits of your labor!
The simple movement of picking up and gripping a wine glass or a salad plate can also help patients relearn movements that they may have lost. Not only that, but cooking is emotionally therapeutic to many. If you’re an occupational therapist, consider adding meal preparation to your therapeutic offerings. It’s an enjoyable task for both therapists and patients alike.
As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, Drinking Wine Can Be a Part of Your Beauty Routine, wine can help improve both your health and beauty. Because of this (and because I like to relax and have fun!), I have started hosting monthly “wine and beauty nights” with a few of my close girlfriends. We’re all married, work full-time, and several of us have young children, so it’s nice to be able to get away from the stress of daily life to get together and relax.
On a typical Wine and Beauty Night, I do the following:
We start in the kitchen and living room, tasting wine and food, and chatting about our day. After about an hour, we head upstairs to wash off our makeup and change into robes before the real fun begins! The format of the beauty portion changes based on who is in attendance. Some of the girls are representatives for beauty companies such as Arbonne or Mary Kay, so if they present their products that evening, we typically focus on that brand only. Other times, each person will bring one or two of their favorite products for everyone to try out. We try everything from facial masks to nail polish to under-eye concealer. It’s a fun way to discover new products and to talk about what’s working for us.
I highly recommend having a wine and beauty night in your home. It’s a fun way to get together with some of your closest friends!
I’ve shifted my beauty routine a great deal this year. I used to be all about buying the cheapest products I could find and hoping for the best. Unfortunately that started to take a toll on my body, especially my hair and skin. My “turning point” this year was when I bought my first all-natural hair care product, a hair regrowth and repair oil called Mira hair oil. Since then, I’ve been doing everything I can to turn my hair and skin routine into a chemical-free routine.
Photo courtesy www.heatheronhertravels.com
The Health Benefits of Wine
I was pleasantly surprised this week when I read an article about how one of my favorite past times, enjoying a nice glass of wine after a long day’s work, is actually making a positive contribution to my all-natural health and beauty routine! According to Professor Joseph Vercauteren of Montpellier University of Pharmacy in France, the most powerful antioxidants in the world are grape seed polyphenols, which are contained in wine. Two other elements of wine, the grapevine stalk (also known as resveratrol) and the grapevine sap (also known as viniferine) also have beauty-enhancing effects. They all help firm the skin, increase the skin’s radiance, and reduce wrinkles.
Enjoy Your Indulgence
So, the next time you crack open a bottle of your favorite wine, remember that you’re doing your skin a favor. As for whether or not it really works, maybe it’s just the rosy cheeks I get after I drink a glass of wine, but I really do feel like this small indulgence makes my skin glow!
Since 2,200 BC the word has been getting out about the health benefits of wine. But it’s only in recent years that scientists have been able to determine the chemicals that are doing all the good work. No longer considered an old wives tale, or something the alternative health community is fixated on, the health benefits of wine have gone mainstream.
The substance that is given most of the credit is resveratrol, found in high concentrations in the skin and seeds of grapes – particularly those used for red wine. Studies indicate that resveratrol has anti-fungal, anti-oxidant, anti-coagulant, anti-bacterial. anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-cancer effects. Wow! That’s a lot of health boosting power.
But remember these benefits only come to moderate drinkers (typically defined as one glass for women daily and two glasses for men). Heavy drinking can have a negative impact on our health. And of course you’ll only get the health benefits if you couple your red wine with a healthy diet and exercise.
Here’s a toast to your good health!
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