Anticancer weapon: Beer and pistachios

Do you have a few pistachio nuts with your beer? This could be the composition of a good cocktail to prevent certain types of cancer.

The public health doctors and alcohologists will naturally rebel against such a proposal. However, two studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, held this week in Houston, show the benefits.

Pistachio has preventive properties against lung cancer. The study of 36 volunteers was based on biological facts. Vitamin E protects against cancer. High dietary intake of gamma tocopherol, one of its forms, might therefore offer this antitumor activity.

But the pistachio is an excellent source of gamma tocopherol. According to various studies, it would have a preventive action against prostate cancer.

Here, 36 participants were divided into two groups, one of which served as a control, the study lasted for 6 weeks. All people were initially followed for 2 weeks in biological terms. Then the intervention group received 68 grams of pistachios per day for 4 weeks.

The researchers found elevated levels of gamma tocopherol in the intervention group, from the 3rd week of the trial and the effect continued until the 6th week without changing the body mass index.

As for beer (rather one of its components, hop). This plant contains xanthohumol (a flavonoid of plant origin) that may block the effects of testosterone. It can prevent prostate cancer. It is known that this flavonoid may block estrogen receptors. As the receptors for testosterone operate on the same principle, the researchers conducted tests in vitro.

The team has prostate cancer cells in contact with testosterone, which caused a massive rise in PSA (marker of cancer risk). Then they performed the same manipulation by adding xanthohumol. Testosterone was more effective. All this of course remains to be confirmed.

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