Although I’ve written several entries on the health benefits of wine consumption because of its resveratrol content, I hope the posts did not come across as promoting excessive alcohol consumption. I’d like to take this opportunity that while there are scientific evidence supporting the so-called French paradox, most suggest that moderate regular wine consumption is most beneficial. What does moderate mean? One glass? Two glasses? How big a glass?
And what about for those who are watching their alcohol consumption? The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) has published Alcohol Facts, a side-by-side comparison of the alcohol, calorie and carbohydrate content per …read more

Previous studies have already demonstrated in animal trials that resveratrol improves health and longevity. New data confirms that resveratrol does improve health and possibly the quality of life, particularly in obese test animals.
In addition to cardiovascular function, the scientists found resveratrol to have a variety of positive effects on other age-related problems in mice:

Treated mice tended to have better bone health, as measured by thickness, volume, mineral content and density, and bending stiffness compared to the non-treated control group.
At 30 months of age, resveratrol-treated mice were found to have reduced cataract formation, a condition found to increase with age in …read more

A new animal study indicates that low doses of resveratrol, an antioxidant compound naturally found in grapes, pomegranates, red wine among others, can potentially boost the quality of life in old age by improving heart health. The effects of resveratrol seems to mimic that of caloric restriction, which involves keeping to 20 to 30 percent less calories than a typical diet. Caloric restriction is believed to be effective in extending lifespan by reducing cellular stress response.
In this study, the researchers compared the genetic responses of animals to either restricted diets or normal diets including small doses of resveratrol, …read more

Wine consumption has already been documented many times to help reduce the risks of Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. The health benefit is believed to be an effect of a compound called resveratrol, found in grape skin and seed.
But what if you’re a teetotaler? Or are perhaps taking other medications that are contra-indicated with alcohol? Or simply steering away from alcoholic drinks? A new study shows that a nutritional supplement containing grape seed extract may work just as well.
“Meganatural AZ grape seed extracts significantly reduced Alzheimer’s disease – type cognitive deterioration in the Alzheimer’ disease mice through mechanisms that …read more

In a long-term population study of about 1,500 Swedish women, researchers found out further evidence that there is a something in wine that protects then from suffering from dementia.
The findings are based on 1,458 women who were included in the so-called Population Study of Women from 1968. When they were examined by physicians they were asked to report how often they drank wine, beer, and liquor by selecting from seven categories on a scale from ‘never’ to ‘daily.’ The researchers know nothing about how much they drank on each occasion, or how correct the estimates were. For each beverage the …read more