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Can red wine make you live longer? |
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Written by DJ Spiess
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Monday, 13 August 2007 |
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Page 2 of 4
Longevity
Maybe you have heard about the French Paradox? Many reports noticed that just 83 out of 100,000 Frenchmen die from heart disease compared with 230 in the US despite a significantly higher amount of fat in their diet. Why is that? Well the source is thought to be the red wine. Frenchmen consume far more red wine than American men. Many thought that it was related to the anti-oxidants found in red wine. The studies seemed to single out a flavonoid called resveratrol (trans-3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene) as the most likely substance for the health benefits.The whole world was buzzing in 2006 when Nature released an article (Resveratrol improves health and survival of mice on a high-calorie diet. Nature. 2006 Nov 16;444(7117):337-42.) that demonstrated a clear relationship between resveratrol and health benefits. The study showed that mice given high amounts of resveratrol lived long lives despite high calorie diets. Everyone in the world read the study as "drinking red wine equals immortality". Unfortunately the mice were not drinking red wine in their water bottle. Rafael de Cabo of the National Institute on Aging states: “We have not given the mice red wine—we gave them a purified compound. We’re trying to address resveratrol itself. We don’t know what will happen if the compound is mixed in an alcoholic beverage, which has many other compounds.” The mice were given very concentrated amounts of resveratrol, 24 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. To match this amount in wine, a person would need to drink 750 to 1,500 bottles of red wine a day. Drinking large amounts of alcohol is always bad for your body, but 10 bottles a day would destroy you quicker than Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas . There is no chance a person could drink that much wine. Many supplement makers are selling resveratrol in a pill form. They claim it contains the same amount found in 5-10 glasses of red wine, however these supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. These have been on the market long before the landmark study came out. The problem with the supplement is 95% of the resveratrol is destroyed by our digestive system before it enters circulation. Even if it could make it to the bloodstream, 5-10 glasses is far short of the 750 bottles required. There is hope though. There are no studies that can prove a cause-and-effect relationship between alcohol and longevity. Such a study may not be possible. However, there might be some benefit to long term moderate consumption. There are no published studies showing the benefits, but we "still have Paris". The French Paradox does still stand, even as anecdotal evidence.
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