Chemical found in red grapes 'could cut bowel cancer risk'

Red wine was once heralded as a boon for health that could protect the heart and even extend life expectancy.

- Hannah Devlin

But while scientists have debunked this claim, they believe that at least one red wine ingredient – a compound called resveratrol – may hold out genuine health benefits.

A trial launched this week will assess whether a low dose of the chemical, also found in red grapes, blueberries and peanuts, could help prevent bowel cancer. The study, one of the largest to date testing drugs for cancer prevention, will recruit patients who are at risk of the disease.

"We are embarking on a unique experiment to see how drugs could stop bowel polyps from growing," said Prof Karen Brown, the director of the University of Leicester Cancer Research Centre and the trial's lead investigator. "This trial could have implications for how we prevent bowel cancer in people who are most likely to develop the disease as they get older."