Wine for Radiation Side Effects

Compounds in red wine may help reduce the risk of radiation-induced skin reactions in breast cancer patients, researchers report.

Skin problems, including irritation, swelling, blisters, redness and dryness are common side effects of radiation. Although medications may help prevent these reactions, they are often costly and can cause their own side effects.

Therefore, less expensive, natural products have been gaining interest among patients. The latest study tested the potential benefits of red wine, which contains antioxidants, including polyphenol, tannins and resveratrol, that may have anticancer effects.

The study included 348 women who were receiving radiation therapy after breast cancer surgery. They were divided into three groups depending on the dose of radiation received.

About 13.6 percent of women who drank a glass of wine daily experienced skin reactions compared to 31.8 of women who drank a half glass of wine daily and 38.4 percent of those who did not drink any wine. However, the incidence increased to 35 percent among those who drank two glasses daily. The wine did not affect the anticancer effects of radiation.

However, these results are preliminary and controversial. Other research has found that drinking as little as one alcoholic beverage daily may increase the risk of breast cancer. In fact, researchers estimate that alcohol consumption may play a role in up to 11 percent of breast cancer cases.

For more information about cancer please visit Natural Standard's Medical Conditions database.

Comments

[Charlotte York]

It was mentioned that red wine may play a possible role in up to 11 percent of breast cancer cases, so I wonder why researchers looked at its radioprotective effects in breast cancer patients and not a different cancer type. Also, it’s unclear in the article whether red wine consumption prior to radiation was assessed (since it seems like the test groups were based off of the dose of radiation received and not drinking habits). If only post-radiation wine drinking effects were assessed, then the long-term effects of wine ingestion will be a future hot topic that should be investigated further.

[Tasha]

I have a friend undergoing radiation for breast cancer right now, and I was about to send this to her, but it's hard to know if I should when the results are preliminary. What will help researchers eliminate some of the conflicting information on these topics? Larger studies? Better-designed studies?

It seems important to note that the study that found a link to alcohol and breast cancer was HUGE in size -- 1,280,296 middle-aged women in the UK -- compared to this one with just 300+.

P.S. Thank you, Natural Standard, for providing an easy link to that study!

[YY]

I think it will be more convincing to compare a radioprotective drug used today (such as amifostine) to red wine. That way, you'd have a direct comparison of efficacy.

Also, I hesitate to encourage consuming alcohol on a daily basis, other than the points mentioned in the paper (alcohol play a role in 11% of breast cancer cases, increase consumption leads to ineffectiveness), I also think alcohol will increase risk of alcohol-drug interactions, especially when these patients are usually on multiple drug regimens.

[nancy]

Very interesting -- I had no idea that red wine was even linked with radiation-protective effects. Although this is intriguing, it is really difficult to assess the results of this study since it used such a small group of patients. In addition, the fact that two glasses of wine a day increased the incidence back up to 35% makes me wonder. The other study showed (linked) a huge incidence of invasive breast cancer in women who consumed alcohol.

Are the suspected protective effects of wine greater than the risks of breast/oral/pharynx cancer??

[Samantha Jones]

Breast cancer can be categorized as estrogen receptor positive (ER+) or negative (ER-), meaning that the hormone, estrogen, enhances tumor growth in ER+ and doesn’t have this effect in ER-. Antioxidants may affect these two types of breast cancers differently, and it doesn’t sound like the researchers took these biochemical differences into consideration when forming the different test groups.

I wonder if the other research that found a correlation between drinking red wine and increased breast cancer incidence actually looked to see if there was a difference in ER+ and ER- subjects. This seems like a very obvious potential confounding factor that could skew results, and I’m surprised to not see it addressed in the study.

[Aiden Shaw]

This research focused on how the ingestion of red wine affects the degree of skin reactions from radiation, but there are many other side effects worth exploring. Radiation can cause many harmful effects on the mucous membranes and accessory glands, leading to a degree of stickiness, oral discomfort, dryness and change in taste, irritating cough and urinary or bowel symptoms (depending on the site of radiation).

Future studies looking at other primary outcomes that included the previously mentioned radiation side effects may help to form a more inclusive picture about the potential benefits of red wine ingestion.

[Ocho Cinco]

Ahh yes, red wine is back in the news for its potential protective benefits from all of the antioxidants it contains. Most past research on red wine and its potential cancer-preventative benefits have come from studying resveratrol.

I remember watching CNN a few years ago and the researchers claimed that you would have to consume an insane amount of wine on a daily basis to get enough resveratrol in your body to have any therapeutic effect. I believe they've started making resveratrol capsules now, and this is probably the active compound that may reduce radiation-induced skin reactions. Also, alcohol consumption and breast cancer is still controversial, and there currently hasn’t been any good evidence that shows a cause and effect.

[Estelle]

Thank you NS for posting this article about wine and its use to prevent against radiation side effects! I also appreciate the linked study that discusses its association with various types of cancer. I'm not sure that I agree with the ethics behind this study, however, given the second study provided results suggesting a link between alcohol numerous types of cancers. I wonder which alcohols were evaluated in the second study. The abstract did mention that wine drinkers had similar trends, so I wonder if the results truly apply to red wine. It's interesting if that is the case since you often hear about the beneficial effects of drinking red wine (i.e. cardiovascular protection).

[CabernetAllTheWay]

It’s not surprising to see red wine and flavonoids, like resveratrol, in the news again. The effects of red wine flavonoids have been a hot topic since the 1990s and before with the French-Paradox hype. The antioxidant properties of favonoids are a great and promising topic! I hope to see research continue in this area.

Radiation is not a pleasant procedure to have to endure and any relief we may be able to offer people is grand. Speaking for myself here -- drinking an alcoholic beverage, like a glass of red wine, that “may play a role in up to 11 percent of breast cancer cases” is not really a concern when you are already being treated for breast cancer.

[Colin]

It is very difficult to interpret this article as having any value in the healthcare world. Results from such trials cannot leave researchers, and more importantly consumers, with any bit of information. Results are difficult to interpret without knowing differences in the populations studied, the consistency of the intervention and the variability of statistics.

What these results do generate are hypotheses. Are there protective effects from a daily glass of red wine in the development of cancer?

Grape seed is already available OTC for conditions ranging from hyperlipidemia to vascular disease. The fermentation of red grapes, as in the production of red wine, may impart benefits in patients with dermatological effects from radiation therapy. This may be related to the effect seen with grape seed; inhibition of radiation-induced oxidative stress and inflammatory-signaling pathways in keratinocytes in the derma.

However, these conclusions cannot be made from the presentation of the results alone, but perhaps from a more comprehensive analysis that allows us to interpret its findings and build upon it.

[Ben]

It's interesting to note that a fine balance of substances is necessary in order to maintain homeostasis. In this case, too much or too little red wine did not help reduce skin reactions after radiation therapy. It would be great if these effects would occur for radiation in any type of cancer aside from breast cancer. Also, are the results of this study statistically significant? This would help determine the validity of the data.

[Jane]

I wonder if white wine might also cause a similar effect. There's a report that shows that white wine also has cardioprotective effects, like red wine. I am curious to know what constituent in red wine that may be responsible for the radioprotective effects seen in this study.

[Jane]

It's interesting to notice this trend: No wine (38.4% skin reactions), 1/2 cup (31.8%), 1 cup (13.6%) and 2 cups (35%). I am puzzled to see that it's most efficacious with 1 cup of wine and loses its effect when the amount of wine doubled. Wouldn't more of whatever responsible agent it might be, the greater its protective effects? Or maybe there's another counter agent in red wine that promote skin reactions.

[EH]

I am also puzzled to see a loss of effect when the amount of red wine consumed doubled. Perhaps it has got something to do with the current alcohol recommendations – no more than 1 and 2 drinks each day for women and men, respectively. Before seeing this study, I had never thought of resveratrol or other beneficial compounds in red wine to have a positive impact on breast cancer patients already undergoing radiation therapy. As with other antioxidants, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, etc., they are usually recommended for preventing cancer and its recurrence.

Regardless of the study design and the small number of participants, this study has definitely shed some light on the possibility of using natural compounds to minimize side effects caused by cancer treatments. It would be interesting to compare the effects between red and white wines, or between the different therapeutic constituents in red wine.

[CD]

I would not feel one bit comfortable relying on this study. First, when drinking two glasses of wine, the number of skin reactions in people increased? Drinking either none or one-half cup was linked to a high number of skin reactions, but drinking one cup was so different (13% vs. in the 30% for the others). To me, this does not make any sense! I am going to assume they always used the same wine from the same country, the same region, same grapes, etc. and all the wine was produced at the same time? If not, that would lead me to point out one issue alone. I do not feel I can rely on this study at all. Much too vague, none of it makes a lot of sense. Also, there is a part in the study where it states that in some cases (11%), drinking wine played a role in breast cancer. This is a study that truly needs to be looked at closely to determine its credibility. Maybe drinking one and a half glasses is the key!

[vin]

Optimizing patient medications by minimizing the prescription cascade is perhaps one of the biggest challenges healthcare providers face today, especially in patients with ailments such as cancer or organ failure. While the goal is to maximize therapy while minimizing side effects is vital, this particular piece of research looking at the effects of red wine on the incidence of skin reactions in breast cancer patients indicates the need for further studies.

The initial thought upon reading this study is that perhaps a comparative study needs to be conducted looking at outcomes of amifostine versus red wine. How do the mechanism of actions compare?

Secondly, limitations of this study include it’s retrospective manner, which makes it difficult to come to a cause-and-effect conclusion.

Thirdly, is it really a plausible idea to encourage cancer patients (or any other patient on medications) to increase alcohol intake, while as healthcare providers, we advise no alcohol for fear of drug interactions?

[Louisa]

Natural Standard gives resveratrol a grade of C for treating cancer and heart disease and promoting longevity or anti-aging effects. A grade C indicates that there is “unclear or conflicting scientific evidence for this use.” Therefore, it may not be worth subjecting yourself to the potentially hazardous effects of red wine just to obtain this compound.

Additionally, alcohol can be even more hazardous to individuals with bleeding disorders or particularly high INRs due to warfarin therapy. However when evaluating any adjuvant cancer treatment, one must consider if the patient is undergoing cancer treatment for curative purposes or palliation. If a breast cancer patient is receiving palliative radiation, and a daily glass of red wine helps with dermatological side effects, then the benefits may outweigh the risks.

[JJ]

I don’t think the study had enough subjects for the results to be statistically significant, but one thing this study has shown again is that everything in moderation has its positive side. As the study suggests, one glass of wine showed a decrease in symptoms, but two glasses of wine showed an increased incidence of skin reactions.

[lynn]

I definitely think that the results of this study are slightly inconclusive. Yes, the study mentioned showed a trend to experiencing fewer side effects due to radiation with drinking wine, but when the participants drank two glasses of wine as opposed to one glass the incidence of side effects dramatically increased.

In addition, alcohol itself is a risk factor for breast cancer and I don’t think it would be safe to tell a cancer patient to drink for improvement of their side effects, especially when some people think that if a little is good for them, then a lot must be better.

[Grace Caulfield]

Resveratrol has been a hot topic in the media. It is a powerful antioxidant found in the skin of grapes. Maybe instead of drinking a glass of wine every day, we should eat a handful of grapes.

[r4i software]

Researchers found that women who enjoyed a glass of wine on treatment days had a 13.6 percent rate of serious skin reactions, versus skin reactions in 38.4 percent of women who drank no wine. That’s a pretty big benefit from something that most people can really enjoy, especially at a time when enjoyment is a little harder to come by.

Cancer radiation therapy has a number of nasty side effects. Most people know about the nausea and vomiting. Fewer people know that this treatment often leads to serious skin reactions.