Another cancer-killing
nutrient found in grapes

It’s no secret that resveratrol has powerful anti-cancer activities. Just a few weeks ago, I showed you how this super nutrient from grapes can help you fight breast cancer. But it looks like there’s more to the health benefits of grapes than resveratrol. A new study found that another component of the grape seeds can kill head and neck cancer cells. And it leaves healthy cells alone.

This is great news considering nearly 12,000 Americans will die of head and neck cancer this year. Around the world, it will kill over half a million people. And those numbers continue to grow.

Most of the cancer research in recent years has focused on resveratrol. But this new study looked at the cancer-fighting activity of the grape seed. The researchers found that grape seed extract kills squamous cell carcinoma cells in both lab tests and in mice. The extract worked so well that one of the researchers, Rajesh Agarwal, PhD, said, “It’s a rather dramatic effect.”

“Cancer cells are fast-growing cells,” Agarwal says. “Not only that, but they are necessarily fast growing. When conditions exist in which they can’t grow, they die.” The grape seed extract creates this unfavorable environment. But it also damages the cancer cells’ DNA and keeps the cells from repairing themselves.

What’s more, the extract worked without any damage to healthy cells. That’s big news. Unlike chemotherapy and radiation, which kill healthy cells as well as cancer cells, this extract keeps the healthy cells healthy.

This study may help explain why we’ve received so many letters from those taking Advanced Resveratrol Formula. We knew the resveratrol was powerful. But this product also contains grape seed and grape skin extracts. Until now, we didn’t have as much information on the seeds’ ability to fight cancer. We’ve seen research on its ability to fight Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s. But not a lot on cancer. Now we do.

You can find grape seed extract products at any health food store and on the Internet. Or you can get a product like Advanced Resveratrol Formula from Advanced Bionutritionals.

One warning: If you’re taking any medications, check with your pharmacist before taking mega doses of this extract. Higher doses may trigger side effects or negative interactions with medications, herbs, or supplements.

Your voice of reason in Women's Health,

Dr. Nan

S. Shrotriya, G. Deep, M. Gu, M. Kaur, A. K. Jain, S. Inturi, R. Agarwal, C. Agarwal. Generation of reactive oxygen species by grape seed extract causes irreparable DNA damage leading to G2/M arrest and apoptosis selectively in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells. Carcinogenesis, 2012; DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgs019

University of Colorado Denver (2012, January 27). Grape seed extract kills head and neck cancer cells, leaves healthy cells unharmed. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 30, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127140939.htm.