02 November 2006

Redwine adds life…

The Independent carries a report concerning a natural substance found in red wine counters the negative effects of an unhealthy high-fat diet,

A study carried out on mice fed on a diet so high in saturated fats that it was equivalent to eating a cream cake with every meal. Unsurprisingly they became obese, and suffered health disorders, and died significantly earlier than mice on normal diets. A second group on the high-fat diet were given resveratrol, a plant extract found in grapes, their health and longevity were almost indistinguishable from normal mice, although they still became obese.

Resveratrol is produced by a range of plants in response to environmental stress and it appears to work by activating a key gene in mammals called SIRT1 which produces an enzyme link-ed to extending lifespan.

Professor Sinclair if the Harvard Medical School said: "[It] may mean we can stave off in humans age-related diseases such as type-2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, but only time and more research will tell. “ Other tests showed that the mice given resveratrol outperformed their fat cousins in terms of agility and co-ordination. "The mice on resveratrol have not been just living longer, they are also living more active, better lives.," Professor Sinclair said.

Matt Kaeberlein and Peter Rabinovich of the University of Washington warned people not rush out and buy resveratrol. "Many people will wonder whether they should start supplementing their diets with resveratrol," they say in a Nature editorial. "Our advice is to exercise caution. For now we counsel patience. Just sit back and relax with a glass of red wine - which, alas, has only 0.3 per cent of the relative resveratrol dose given to the gluttonous mice."

I knew that that third bottle of Shiraz was doing me good….


9 comments:

Anonymous said...

"0.3 per cent of the relative resveratrol dose"

Does that mean I've got to increase my red wine intake by 333%?

Oh well, if I must... bottoms up!

Steve Bates said...

"Exercise caution"? The only thing I'm likely to exercise in response to this news is my good right arm, as I lift my glass to my mouth one more time. I do love my red wine!

(Hmm... I'm surprised not to find a comment by redwine on this thread.)

jams o donnell said...

If I was a religious man I would consider the grape as evidence of the existence of God! A nice Priorat from Near Barcelona, a Cote Rotie from the Rhone, a Chateau Musar from Lebanon, a Californian Zinfandel... I love them al; Steve.. Roger I wonder if the active chemical protects the liver!

jams o donnell said...

I like some water of life too Mullets but I can't indulge to heavily in the holy spirits!

Sadly the reports did not mention a single twocking or the issue of an ASBO!

elasticwaistbandlady said...

This gluttonous not mouse, drinks a lot of grape juice, and that's also supposed to promote heart health. Maybe, that's why I'm so "PORTly." Sorry, I should have included a bad pun warning.

I demand to know where redwine is! Did someone check the UB40 concert? I think she heard that song, "Red, Red Wine", and she followed it like a child to the Pied Piper.

Agnes said...

"If I was a religious man I would consider the grape as evidence of the existence of God!" - I am a very religious wymin. And I have the evidence. I used to have revelations.

Agnes said...

'has only 0.3 per cent of the relative resveratrol dose given to the gluttonous mice." - yes. 1500 bottles a day would do just fine. I am for it....

Steve Bates said...

You know you've had just enough red wine when you can no longer properly pronounce "resveratrol." Hmm... I'm not sure I know how to do that right now, and I haven't had any wine since yesterday evening!

jams, do you get Chilean Shiraz over there? For people like me who don't have a big budget for wine, Chile provides some really very decent wines at great prices (here at least). I wish I could recommend my home state's product, but I haven't found a Texas wine I really like. Most of my daily fare comes from California.

jams o donnell said...

If grape juice works then good. I love grape juice, fermented and unfermented.

If the grape was really evidence of existence then I would be pope, methinks.. More Lachryma Christi, hic! I have visions and revelations thanks to the grape then I get very very sleepy!

only 1500 bottles, red?

But once you cant pronounce it Steve, you must try a few more bottles yst to make sure, Surely!

Qe are quite fortunate in what we get here. English wine is good if you like sparking or light "green" winde. very little red produced. then again wine production is pretty low key here.

We do get quite a lot of good chilean stuff, including Shiraz, plenty of good aussie wine too. Most american stuff availalbe in the supermarkets is pretty poor but a trip to a specialist wine merchant can turn up some reat californian and other west coast stuff. American wine here is a bit pricey though.Australian, chilean and South African is much better value