It is thought to be one of a class caged phytoalexins, produced by plants when they are stressed by fungal attack. This may be because it prevents the build- up of platelets in the blood. The latest discovery supports what herbalists and botanists say. The US National Cancer Institute believes that diet is responsible for 35 per cent of all cancers. But Dr Pegzuto is not, for the time being, recommending chemotherapy by the claret glass or a prophylactic pinot noir.
Alcohol is dangerous in other ways.
The good news is that we have things in wine and grape products that can possibly prevent cancer. The other side of the coin is that there tends to be a positive correlation between cancer and alcohol - with breast cancer, for example. So at best what we have here is some kind of neutralising effect. 98 WINE contains a chemical that acts just like the hormone oestrogen. The chemical might explain why moderate drinking appears to help prevent heart disease.