Drinking Wine: Better Than a Lead Suit?

Wine's many health benefits have been touted in this blog and elsewhere. But some of the medicinal qualities of fermented grapes are downright surprising bordering on the bizarre. How about using wine to treat radiation? Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore are claiming exactly that, with possible benefits for cancer patients undergoing harsh treatments.

Reuters Reporters Maggie Fox and Peter Cooney write about the high hopes placed on certain chemicals in red wine. Under the headline, "Wine Ingredient Protects Against Radiation: Report," Fox and Cooney write:

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A natural antioxidant commonly found in red wine and fruit may protect against radiation exposure, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.

"Tests in mice showed that resveratrol, when altered using a compound called acetyl, could prevent some of the damage caused by radiation, the researchers told the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology meeting in Boston.

"Drugs made that way might be used in a large-scale radiological or nuclear emergency, said Dr. Joel Greenberger, a radiation oncologist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

"'Currently there are no drugs on the market that protect against or counteract radiation exposure,' he added. 'Our goal is to develop treatments for the general population that are effective and non-toxic,' Greenberger said in a statement.

"'Small molecules which can be easily stored, transported and administered are optimal for this, and so far acetylated resveratrol fits these requirements well.'"

You can read more about this wonder compound here.