Red Wine’s the Drug!
Written by Asinus Asinum Fricat on May 22, 2008 – 1:29 pm -I knew it! Fresh evidence that supports the potential protective health properties of wine with a US study suggesting a glass of red wine a day could actually protect against liver disease. People who drank up to one glass of wine a day saw the risk of liver disease due to Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) cut in half, report researchers at California university’s San Diego School of Medicine, who carried out a study of nearly 12,000 individuals. Don’t drink the whole bottle though!
NAFLD, almost unknown over two decades ago, is the most common liver disease in the US. Affecting over 40 million adults in the US alone, its prevalence is expected to grow worldwide as nations become increasingly obese.
Previous research has linked the potential health benefits of wine to resveratrol, a powerful polyphenol and anti-fungal chemical that occurs naturally under the skin of red wine grapes. It is often touted as the bioactive compound in grapes and red wine, and has particularly been associated with the so-called ‘French Paradox’, a phrase used to describe the low incidence of heart disease and obesity among the French, despite their relatively high-fat diet and levels of wine consumption. Ah ah, I can vouch for that!
The Californian scientists set out to investigate whether modest alcohol consumption for the heart is safe with regards to the liver. Their findings suggest “a paradigm shift”, in that a daily tipple of one’s favorite red may not only be safe for the liver but could actually decrease the prevalence of NAFLD.
“The odds of having suspected NAFLD based upon abnormal liver blood tests was reduced by 50 per cent in individuals who drank one glass of wine a day,” said Jeffrey Schwimmer, associate professor of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, UC San Diego School of Medicine and Director, Fatty Liver Clinic at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego.
The result remained constant, even after adjusting for age, sex, race, education, income, diet, physical activity, body mass index, and other markers of health status, the researchers report in the June 2008 issue of Hepatology.
In contrast, compared with wine drinkers, people who reported modest consumption of beer or spirits had over four times the odds of having suspected NAFLD.
The protective properties of compounds found in red wine are the focus of numerous studies today as industry and academia investigate dietary mechanisms to stem the growing tide of diseases such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
A recent study in California, for example, found low doses of freeze-dried grape powder could inhibit the development of colorectal cancer thanks to the polyphenol resveratrol and synergistic effects between the grape compounds.
Previous studies have also linked resveratrol to bearing a positive effect on extending survival rates of mice and preventing the negative effects of high-calorie diets. It has also been linked to diabetes, heart health and obesity.
In red wine, the amount of resveratrol in a bottle can vary between types of grapes and growing seasons, and can vary between 0.2 and 5.8 milligrams per litre. But nearly all dark red wines - merlot, cabernet, zinfandel, shiraz and pinot noir - contain resveratrol.
The cross-sectional, population-based study of nearly 12,000 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), an epidemiological survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), included 7,211 non-drinkers and 4,543 modest alcohol drinkers.
The scientists warned that “because this effect was only seen with wine, not in beer or liquor, further studies will be needed to determine whether the benefits seen were due to the alcohol or non-alcohol components of wine.”
The study was funded in part with grants from the National Institutes of Health National Research Service Award (NIH NRSA) and from the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health for the General Clinical Research Center at UC San Diego.
Tags: California, Red Wine, Studies
Posted in Current Events, Wine and Spirits |
6 Comments
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I like it! I really, really LOVE red wine. I know I drink too much, but nothing like a few glasses with a really great dinner.
I’m curious, what’s the info from France? I’ve wondered if there is a higher rate of red wine consumption and related obesity or disease. All the French I’ve known are really slim and healthy and stylish and beautiful. Are y’all just stubbornly against getting sick?
No, we drink red wine, and everything, but the key word is moderation. As kids it’s drilled into us.
Oh, that is really a good idea. I guess, from living in CA you found out that in the US we just don’t talk about that kind of thing. Don’t want our children even thinking about it. Then when they get in college, it’s binge, binge, binge. So sad.
Like aged cheeses and dark chocolate, red wine is a MAJOR migraine trigger for me. Even a taste now starts the little wiggly lines at the periphery of my vision that are a harbinger of things to come…
Do we know what the active protective agent is in red wine, and is it separate from the migraine-inducing whatevers?
I feel un-protected now.
Don’t worry, in a week or so I’m going to test this new wonder supplement which is pure resveratrol. I bought some online and will report.
Same here. Red wine even in smallest doses sends me into migraine land…