Spanish Vines

“If you want to eat a hamburger (or other fatty food like fried chicken), you would do well to drink red wine along with it. Not only to help keep the fat from being deposited in your arteries as plaque, and to aid in digesting that much meat or protein, but also because the positive effect of drinking red wine only lasts no longer than a couple days.”

Almost every doctor in the field agrees that drinking wine regularly, in small to moderate amounts, is important. Infrequent drinking provided little benefit.

Healing Powers of Antioxidants
The compounds found in red wine that are responsible for its healing powers are antioxidants. Red wines contain several antioxidants beneficial to good health. Different antioxidants have different functions, but the key feature of all these antioxidants appears to be one of protection and prevention of disease.

Resveratrol and Other Red Wine Antioxidants
One of the most studied antioxidants in red wines is resveratrol, a compound found in the seeds and skins of grapes. Red wine has a high concentration of resveratrol because the skins and seeds ferment in the grapes’ juices during the red wine-making process. This prolonged contact during fermentation produces significant levels of resveratrol in the finished red wine. White wine also contains resveratrol, but the seeds and skins are removed early in the white wine-making process, reducing the concentration of the compound in the finished white wine.

Antioxidants, like resveratrol, are beneficial in preventing harmful elements in the body from attacking healthy cells. Found in red wine, peanuts, blueberries and cranberries, resveratrol is easily absorbed by the human body. The antioxidant properties of resveratrol also offer certain health benefits in the prevention of heart disease and the reduction of lung tissue inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Other Antioxidants
Red wine also contains other antioxidants. Researchers are finding new ways to isolate these antioxidants and study their health benefits.

One of these antioxidants, a flavanoid known as catechin, is abundant in red wine and green tea. Research indicates that, along with resveratrol, catechin plays an important role in reducing the risk of heart disease. Saponins, found in red wine, olive oil and soybeans, offer protective benefits for the heart and are easily absorbed by the body. Yet another antioxidant present in red wine, called guercetin, is being studied for its value in the prevention of lung cancer.

Heart Disease and Stroke
Studies show that resveratrol has blood-thinning properties. By keeping individual blood cells (”platelets”) from sticking to each other, resveratrol can limit the formation of blood clots. If blood clots form and become lodged in the smaller vessels of the heart or brain, oxygen can be prevented from reaching these vital organs. This lack of oxygen is called ischemia. Severe ischemia in the heart is known as a heart attack or myocardial infarction. Severe ischemia in the brain is called a stroke.

Cholesterol and High Blood Pressure
Another health benefit of resveratrol is its ability to limit the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. The oxidation of LDL is the first step to the production of plaques on the inside of the blood vessels. Plaque is the primary cause of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. New studies show that the antioxidant saponin, also found in red wine, may aid in reducing the levels of LDL cholesterol. Any reduction in the levels of LDL, or in its oxidation, can potentially decrease the build up of plaque.

Preventing Future Heart Attack
Another health benefit of resveratrol is its ability to regulate nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a gas that enables smooth muscles to relax. This relaxation of the smooth muscle also occurs in the walls of the blood vessels and allows blood to flow smoothly through the vessel.

The results of a French study of men who had previous heart attacks indicates that the effects of resveratrol, through moderate red wine consumption, may help prevent future heart attacks.

Tumor Suppression
Studies show that resveratrol has the ability to inhibit the process that leads to the growth and spreading (metastasis) of cancer. Resveratrol helps to neutralize the oxidation of free radicals which keeps them from penetrating the cell membrane and destroying the protein and DNA inside healthy cells. Resveratrol also shows properties of tumor suppression by preventing the production of new blood vessels, which can help limit the growth of tumors by cutting off their supply of nutrients.

Laboratory studies have shown that resveratrol can cause certain cancer cells to self-destruct, or undergo apoptosis—an event where cells disintegrate and become particles that are then consumed by other cells. So far, this triggering of apoptosis by resveratrol has been shown to occur in breast cancer cells, skin cancer cells (melanoma), and leukemia cells.

Other research studies have shown that resveratrol can suppress the growth of prostate cancer cells. In addition, levels of the prostate specific antigen (PSA), a marker used to monitor prostate cancer activity in patients, were also suppressed in these experiments.

Wine and Colon Cancer
According to researchers from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, a glass of wine per week may help prevent colon cancer. The study led by Catherine R. Messina, Ph.D. found that colorectal polyps occurred in eighteen percent of beer or grain-based liquor drinkers, twelve percent of non-drinkers and only one percent of wine drinkers.

Too Much of a Good Thing
While evidence shows that small daily amounts of resveratrol have positive health benefits, some concern exists that large amounts may have adverse effects. Limiting the amount of the antioxidants to those in red wine, peanuts, blueberries and cranberries may offer the most health benefit. Positive evidence is based on moderate drinking of one to two glasses of red wine per day. More research is moving in the direction of using resveratrol as a chemopreventive (cancer preventing) agent.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 at 9:31 pm and is filed under Wine for Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.