Here's some great news for those who enjoy a glass (or two) of wine with dinner. ScienceDaily reports that red wine, grape skins, and red or purple grape juice actually kills the powerhouse of pancreatic cancer cells - it's mitochondria.

It works by a couple of mechanisms:

Resveratrol seems to have a therapeutic gain by making tumor cells more sensitive to radiation and making normal tissue less sensitive..."

...The discovery is critical because, like the cell nucleus, the mitochondria contains its own DNA and has the ability to continuously supply the cell with energy when functioning properly. Stopping the energy flow theoretically stops the cancer...

...Laboratory experiments showed that resveratrol:

• Reduced the function of proteins in the pancreatic cancer cell membranes that are responsible for pumping chemotherapy out of the cell, making the cells chemo-sensitive.
• Triggered the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are substances circulating in the human body that have been implicated in a number of diseases: when ROS is increased, cells burn out and die.
• Caused apoptosis, which is likely the result of increased ROS.
• Depolarized the mitochondrial membranes, which indicates a decrease in the cell's potential to function. Radiation alone does not injure the mitochondrial membrane as much.

The team also wanted to investigate why pancreatic cancer cells seem to be particularly resistant to chemotherapy. The pancreas, a gland located deep in the abdomen, produces insulin and regulates sugar, and pumps or channels powerful digestive enzymes into the duodenum. This natural pumping process, however, ends up ridding the needed chemotherapy from cells in the pancreas. But just as reseveratrol interferes with the cancer cells' energy source, it also may decrease the power available to pump chemotherapy out of the cell.

Drinking moderate amounts of red wine or supplementing with reseveratrol seems to have incredible protective abilities. It's potent qualities exhibit generous antioxidant capabilities to fight cancer, inflammation, and atherogenic effects.

Cheers!