Now, we know why the French are real lover boys. And this, even at old ages. A team at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has discovered that nutrients encountered in red wine could decrease the risk of prostate cancer. Even when successfully operated, the surgery of prostate cancer presents a high risk of letting the man impotent.

In the new study, the UAB researchers fed male mice with a plant chemical abundant in red wine, resveratrol, known for its anti-oxidant and anti-cancer qualities. Other aliments rich in resveratrol, a type of polyphenol, are grapes, raspberries, peanuts and blueberries.

The resveratrol-fed mice presented a 87 % decrease in their risk of growing prostate tumors for the worst type of cancer. The most cancer-resistant mice got the protection following 7 months of ingesting resveratrol in a powdered formula added to their normal food.

Mice fed with resveratrol that still developed a less severe type of prostate cancer were 48 % more likely to have their tumors stopped or slowed down when compared to mice that did not receive resveratrol.

"This study adds to a growing body of evidence that resveratrol consumption through red wine has powerful chemoprevention properties, in addition to its apparent heart-health benefits," said lead author Dr. Coral Lamartiniere, of UAB's Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology.

A 2006 UAB research discovered that resveratrol-fed female mice presented significantly a lower risk of breast cancer.

The researchers have already started trials checking the effect of resveratrol in humans, assessing the required doses for inducing the anti-cancer effects. The reseveratrol doses employed in mice in the UAB research were equivalent to those ingested by a person consuming one bottle of red wine daily, which is harmful for the health, as the daily recommended red wine consumption is of two drinks for men and one for women.