Resveratrol -- it’s all the rage. This ingredient, which is found in red wine, has been said to have numerous health benefits. And the list just keeps getting longer.
A recent study found that the resveratrol found in red wine just might just equal the benefits of a cardiovascular workout. Wow!
This is said to be extremely helpful for those who can’t exercise. The Daily Herald reports that wine's benefits included improvement in physical performance and heart function. It also affected muscle strength in a similar way that a workout would.
The research, conducted by the University of Alberta in Canada, has just upped the ante when it comes to reasons to add wine to a routine. "I think resveratrol could help patient populations who want to exercise but are physically incapable," says lead researcher Jason Dyck, as reported in the article. "Resveratrol could mimic exercise for them or improve the benefits of the modest amount of exercise that they can do."
Other research has also shown promising effects when it comes to how wine can lead to gym-like effects. According to Medical Daily, researchers at Oregon State followed up on a previous study that found that wine can lead to weight loss. Their goal was to analyze how grapes affect the body.
Over a 10-week period, researchers gave mice a diet rich in fat. After they fattened up, the mice were divided into two groups: one that ate extracts from Pinot Noir grapes, and another who ate different foods, or as Medical Daily calls it, “mouse chow.”
Guess what? The mice who ate the grapes had lower blood sugar and stored less liver fat. This is thought to be because ellagic acid has a direct effect on fat cells -- both slowing growth and new cell formation.
Study co-author Neil Shay believes the findings are promising. “The high-fat-fed mice developed fatty liver and diabetic symptoms -- the same metabolic consequences we see in many overweight, sedentary people,” Shay said in an article published by CBS San Francisco. “If we could develop a dietary strategy for reducing the harmful accumulation of fat in the liver, using common foods like grapes…that would be good news.”
And that’s not all. Red wine may prevent cancer. A study published in the journal Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology found that alcohol damages cells.
“Alcohol damages cells, and resveratrol kills damaged cells,” says a scientist who studied red wine and its relationship to preventing cancer in a press release published by Science Daily and originally printed by the University of Colorado Denver. “Alcohol bombards your genes. Your body has ways to repair this damage, but with enough alcohol, eventually some damage isn't fixed. That's why excessive alcohol use is a factor in head and neck cancer. Now, resveratrol challenges these cells -- the ones with unrepaired DNA damage are killed, so they can't go on to cause cancer. Alcohol damages cells and resveratrol kills damaged cells," he adds.
Researchers have found that the health benefits of red wine may extend to better health in those with diabetes. According to Medical Daily, red wine could control both cholesterol and blood sugar levels. However, this was found in the context of participants between the ages of 40 and 75 who also followed the Mediterranean diet, which likely had an impact.
In the two-year study, selected participants previously drank alcohol no more than once a week and had controlled cases of diabetes. Subjects consumed five ounces of wine or another assigned beverage with evening meals. Interestingly, good cholesterol levels climbed in those drinking red wine. However, significantly improved blood sugar levels were seen mainly in those who drank white wine as opposed to red wine (though red wine did have an effect).
Genetics were thought to be an important factor in the study. “Researchers found that slow-alcohol metabolizers improved their blood sugar more than those who were fast-alcohol metabolizers,” Medical Daily reports.
"The genetic interactions suggest that ethanol plays an important role in glucose metabolism, while red wine's effects additionally involve non-alcoholic constituents," researchers wrote. "Yet, any clinical implication of [these] findings should be taken with caution with careful medical follow-up."
Red wine may help those who do not suffer from diabetes when it comes to improving cholesterol levels. According to Prevention, a study conducted in Spain found that the High-fiber Tempranillo grapes used in some red wines could impact cholesterol levels.
In the study, healthy subjects who took a grape supplement had a 9 percent decrease in LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. And those who had high cholesterol demonstrated a 12 percent drop in cholesterol levels.
Some experts cite concerns about jumping to conclusions. According to the Mayo Clinic, much of the research done on resveratrol has focused on animals. In other words, no one knows whether the benefits found in animal-based experiments apply to people. And, as the Mayo Clinic says, “to get the same dose of resveratrol used in the mice studies, a person would have to drink more than 1,000 liters of red wine every day.”
If you plan to start – or continue -- drinking wine to promote better health, it’s important to remember a few general rules of thumb. First, watch your intake. Limit drinks to one a day if you’re a woman who's older than 65 and two if you’re younger than 65.
Remember that alcohol comes with risks of its own. In excess, it could increase your risk of high blood pressure, high triglycerides, liver damage, obesity, cancer, and of course, accidents. Plus, it can weaken your heart muscle. And if you’re on an aspirin regime, talk to your doctor before adding wine to your routine.
If you don’t want to drink red wine, remember that there are other ways to obtain resveratrol. Resveratrol is found in the skin of grapes. So grapes and grape juice are rich sources of resveratrol.