RED WINE, GREAT FOR ATHLETES?
Red wine might turn you into an athlete, or at least a daily resveratrol supplement. Scientists found that not only does resveratrol (a component founds in red wine) reverse the effects of obesity in mice and make them live longer, but it also increases their endurance as well. According to a report in the New York Times, experts say the finding may open up a new field of research on similar drugs that may be relevant to the prevention of diabetes and other diseases.
Says Nicholas Wade at the Times:
“An ordinary laboratory mouse will run one kilometer on a treadmill before collapsing from exhaustion. But mice given resveratrol, a minor component of red wine and other foods, run twice as far. They also have energy-charged muscles and a reduced heart rate, just as trained athletes do, according to an article published online in Cell by Johan Auwerx and colleagues at the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Illkirch, France.”
Dr. Auwerx and his colleagues believe the same mechanism is likely to work in humans, based on an analysis in a group of Finnish subjects of the gene that is influenced by the drug. His study goes hand in hand with the one published earlier this month by Dr. David Sinclair of the Harvard Medical School, who found that much moderate doses of resveratrol protected mice from the negative effects of a high-calorie diet. The mice didn’t lose weight, but they lived far longer than the mice not given resveratrol that were fed the same fatty diet. (The two studies were started and performed independently.)
Keep in mind, however, that no one could drink enough red wine to maintain the level of resveratrol dosage given to the mice – no matter how much you like the stuff. It would have to be given in supplement form. So as scientists continue to study the possible effects of resveratrol, drink up, spread the news and enjoy your favorite glass of red wine.
Says Nicholas Wade at the Times:
“An ordinary laboratory mouse will run one kilometer on a treadmill before collapsing from exhaustion. But mice given resveratrol, a minor component of red wine and other foods, run twice as far. They also have energy-charged muscles and a reduced heart rate, just as trained athletes do, according to an article published online in Cell by Johan Auwerx and colleagues at the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Illkirch, France.”
Dr. Auwerx and his colleagues believe the same mechanism is likely to work in humans, based on an analysis in a group of Finnish subjects of the gene that is influenced by the drug. His study goes hand in hand with the one published earlier this month by Dr. David Sinclair of the Harvard Medical School, who found that much moderate doses of resveratrol protected mice from the negative effects of a high-calorie diet. The mice didn’t lose weight, but they lived far longer than the mice not given resveratrol that were fed the same fatty diet. (The two studies were started and performed independently.)
Keep in mind, however, that no one could drink enough red wine to maintain the level of resveratrol dosage given to the mice – no matter how much you like the stuff. It would have to be given in supplement form. So as scientists continue to study the possible effects of resveratrol, drink up, spread the news and enjoy your favorite glass of red wine.
posted at 1:04 PM
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