More Wine & Health Benefits

Those of us in the wine industry are very aware of the health benefits of wine and love to share new studies with wine drinkers. Here's a recent article about the benefits that result from Resveratrol:

Study Shows Improved Health With Regular Use of Resveratrol - Compound Found In Grapes

07-20-2007 RALEIGH, N.C. — A natural compound found in foods such as grapes and nuts has proven beneficial to the overall health of overweight, aged mice, providing significant implications for the health and survival of mammals. A study released by the National Institute on Aging and the National Institutes of Health has found that overweight mice whose high calorie diet was supplemented by the compound Resveratrol had better health and survival than aged overweight mice who did not receive the compound. The online study published in the November 1 issue of Nature, indicates that heavy doses of Resveratrol lowers the rate of diabetes, liver problems and other fat-related health issues in obese mice. Researchers believe that Resveratrol is one of the primary ingredients responsible for the cholesterol lowering effects of red wine and is also thought to contribute to the improved cardiovascular effects associated with the moderate consumption of red wine and grape products. Resveratrol also demonstrates anti-infective, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties that help it block reactions associated with the cancer process. Resveratrol, a small molecule produced when certain plants are under stress, is found in the skin of grapes and in other plants. Campbell University has measured the concentrations of Resveratrol in Muscadine grapes to be five to seven times higher than any other product on the market today. The muscadine grape is native to the southeastern United States and is well adapted to the warm, humid conditions of this region. It is harvested as single berries instead of in bunches and has smaller leaves and fruit with thicker skins than the bunch-type grapes. In a study reported January 1997 in Science, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago purified Resveratrol from grape sources and showed it to have anti-carcinogenic activity, meaning that it inhibits tumor promotion. Muscadines also contain ellagic acid, a natural organic compound thought to inhibit the start of cancer caused by certain chemicals. Given the significant amounts of Resveratrol found in the muscadine grape, economists are predicting that the muscadine will not only be an alternative crop for growers in the Southeast, but a new health food as well.