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Friday, September 23, 2016

Grape Seed Extract

[Updated October 2, 2016]

This 2011 report on the VITAL study of 35,239 men found no effect on the development of prostate cancer for chondroitin, coenzyme Q10, fish oil, garlic, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, glucosamine or saw palmetto; however, it did find a 41% reduction in the development of prostate cancer among those who took grape seed oil supplements and a 62% reduction in the development of prostate cancer among those who took doses higher than those found in multivitamins over a 10 year period. Low doses of grape seed extract, primarily from multivitamins, did not show any reduction in prostate cancer development.

There were some limitations to the VITAL study and the authors did not recommend that taking such supplements but if any of the above substances work to reduce the likelihood of the development of prostate cancer then it would seem that grape seed oil supplements would be more likely than the others. Also, the study did not look at patients who already have prostate cancer but of course if it works in one set of people it might work in another. [PMID: 21598177] [full free text].

This 2014 study of grape seed extract found an anti-cancer effect against prostate cancer cells in test tubes. [PMID: 24191894] which adds to the evidence in the VITAL study.

Although the 62% reduction in prostate cancer among the high grape seed extract group is eye opening there is only one clinical trial on grape seed extract and prostate cancer: clinicaltrials.gov - prostate cancer and grape seed extract. In comparison there are 27 clinical trials on metformin and prostate cancer: clinicaltrials.gov - prostate cancer and metformin so the bets seem to be much more on metformin at this point. For more information on grape seed extract (side effects, etc.) see the pages at drugs.com and Memorial Sloan Kettering. Additional discussion and references on grape seed extract can be found in a 2014 review of chemoprevention strategies [PMID: 24389535] [full free text] .

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