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HOW A GLASS OF RED A DAY KEEPS YOU YOUNG AT HEART

BOOST: Red wine contains antioxidants

Wednesday June 4,2008

By Victoria Fletcher Health Editor

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A DAILY glass of red wine may counterbalance rich foods and be the key to keeping your heart young.

For decades, scientists have been trying to understand how the French indulge in fatty foods like pates and cheese but have low rates of heart disease.

While too much wine has been linked to cancer and liver disease, rich food is synonymous with heart disease. Now a team in America has discovered that a compound found in red wine appears to protect the heart from ageing and may do almost as much good as eating a low-calorie diet.

Sadly, it doesn’t work quite as well on the waistline. The compound, resveratrol, is found in grapes, pomegranates, red wine and some other foods. Previous research has shown it extends the lifespan of mice fed on a high-fat diet. But no-one has understood why.

Now a new study suggests it is because resveratrol interferes with the genes which are switched on and off in our bodies as we age.

In other words it prevents the changes to the heart normally associated with ageing. This slow-down is as good as that achieved by people who eat a low-fat diet.

The latest research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was done only on mice. But the team believe the findings would be equivalent to a middle-aged man drinking a glass of red wine a day.

The team noticed a low-fat diet prevented age-related changes to 90 per cent of the heart genes. In the mice fed resveratrol, it prevented 92 per cent of these changes.

Red wine not only contains antioxidants which may boost health, it has also been found to inhibit the build-up of fat in the arteries that leads to heart disease.

But experts agree red wine should only be drunk in moderation, with women consuming no more than a medium-size glass a day and men two glasses.

AT LAST SOME POSITIVE PRESS FOR DRINKING!

04.06.08, 4:11pm

The recent government debates have demonstrated how political debate is out of touch with public opinion. They focus on excessive consumption and ignore the majority of drinks who consume alcohol sensibly. The responsible drinkers are unfairly penalised
This research shows how responsible drinking can be a good thing. It’s about time that responsible drinkers are given the chance to influence policy surrounding alcohol. I found this website www.responsibledrinkersalliance.co.uk, which is a great way to add your voice to the debate and to make sure that the majority of responsible people, who enjoy a drink, aren’t overlooked.

• Posted by: Lucy131 • Report Comment

HAPPY DAYS

04.06.08, 9:28am

How lucky I am to have known the days when when a good glass of wine would probably be followed by several more without health warnings ringing in our ears and no one had heard of units. When one could share a bottle of wine with lunch then drive home without fear of being breathalysed, criminalized and stigmatized.

• Posted by: splodge • Report Comment