Contributed by William Angelos| 02 November, 2006 04:12 GMT
There is a chemical ingredient in red wine that might protect against diabetes and certain other health problems regardless of calorie intake, suggests a new study conducted by Harvard researchers and published in the journal
Nature.
The compound, Resveratrol, is a polyphenol found in the skin of red grapes.
In tests with mice that were given high fat, high calorie diets, those who received supplements of the chemical, which is a natural antioxidant, enjoyed longer, healthier lives.
They did become obese, but they did not develop insulin resistance or heart disease -- unlike their counterparts who did not receive the Resveratrol supplement.
The calorie-loaded mice that received Resveratrol lived almost as long as mice who consumed a healthy diet.
Their motor skills actually improved with age, according to study co-author David Sinclair.
He suggested that the discovery of the health benefits associated with Resveratrol could someday lead to the prevention of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer in humans. |
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