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Grape seed extract (Vitis vinifera) is prepared from the seeds of grapes and is most commonly used for conditions related to the heart and blood vessels, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and poor circulation, as well as vision problems, and nerve and eye damage related to diabetes. Grape seed contains procyanidins, a type of bioflavonoids that have potent antioxidant properties.
Several studies have looked at whether grape seed extract is effective in preventing cancer, and thus far all the research has been limited to lab animals. In a University of Colorado Denver study, researchers found that a substance called gallic acid, which is found in grape seed extract, was effect against prostate cancer xenograft growth in mice. (Kaur 2009) In another study, grape seed was just one of several ingredients in a supplement that proved to have anticancer activities against prostate cancer cells and aggressive prostate cancer tumors in xenograft mice. (Evans 2009)
These few preliminary findings in mice hold some promise for the use of grape seed extract to help prevent and/or treat prostate cancer. Grape seed extracts are generally well tolerated and rarely cause side effects, which may include headache, itchy scalp, dizziness, and nausea. The suggested dose for people who want protection against free-radical damage is 25 to 150 mg one to three times daily. People who have circulatory problems generally take 150 to 300 mg daily. (University of Maryland)
References
Evans S, Dizeyi N, Abramahsson PA, Persson J. The effect of a novel botanical agent TBS-101 on invasive prostate cancer in animal models. Anticancer Res 2009 Oct; 29(10): 3917-24.
Kaur M, Velmurugan B, Rajamanickam S, Agarwal R, Agarwal C. Gallic acid, an active constitutuent of grape seed extract, exhibits anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic and anti-tumorigenic effects against prostate carcinoma xenograft growth in nude mice. Pharm Res 2009 Sep; 26(9): 2133-40.
University of Maryland Medical Center: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/grape-seed-000254.htm
