Should I Drink Red Wine?
There has been a lot of interest lately into the antioxidant properties of red wine, and more specifically the skin from red grapes. These grape skins contain phytochemicals and proanthocyanidins that have powerful antioxidant properties. Are red grapes the only place we can get these phytochemicals?
One day I was having lunch with a friend who has a PhD in chemistry and is working on studies that look into the cancer fighting properties of blueberries (more accurately, blueberry extracts). I asked her; are there other fruits and berries that contain phytochemicals similar to blueberries? She told me that in fact most berries that have similarly colored skins have similar chemical properties. And I thought to myself, well of course! That makes perfect sense. It turns out that all dark colored fruits such as blueberries, bilberries, blackberries, and yes, red grapes have these potentially powerful antioxidants contained therein. But the original question still remains. Should I drink red wine?
Another recent introduction into this arena of cancer fighting antioxidant drugs is Resveratrol.
Resveratrol was designed after a naturally occurring phytochemical in red grape skins called phytoalexin. Studies in animals have shown some promise with regards to its action as an antioxidant, as an agent of life extension, for fighting cancer, and for its anti-inflammatory effects. So, should I take Resveratrol?
I was talking with a scientist the other day that was using a powerful Confocal microscope to acquire some high resolution images of cancerous cells that had been treated with Resveratrol. I asked him if he thought Resveratrol was a significant breakthrough in cancer treatment and he said that it was simply too early to tell. Although studies on fruit flies and worms have shown some promise, the results from mouse studies are disappointing. He also said that in order to get similar amounts of the chemical from drinking red wine that you would need to drink approximately 15,000 bottles per week!
The results from studies on Resveratrol and life extension are interesting in that not only did they seem to expand the lives of flies and worms, the manner in which this life extension occurred is similar to what happens when you consume a calorie restricted diet. You see, the calorie restriction diet is the most robust way that you can increase your life span. Calorie restriction seems to enhance the production of ATP by mitochondria which are the organelles within your cells that provide the energy (ATP) for the cells. Will Resveratrol make me live longer?
You are probably thinking that I have actually raised more questions with regards to drinking red wine than I have answered. Ok, fair enough, so now I will attempt to answer the questions as to whether or not you should take Resveratrol or drink red wine.
With regards to Resveratrol there is simply no evidence that suggests that Resveratrol will fight cancer, act as an anti-inflammatory, or extend your life. Although the studies on flies are interesting they are not replicated in mice. No studies have shown an effect in humans. Therefore, it is simply too early to suggest that you should take Resveratrol. Let other individuals discover the side effects of this drug before you begin your own Resveratrol program.
With regards to red wine there is no evidence that suggests that the ingestion of red wine, or red grapes, will fight cancer, fight inflammation, or extend your life. However, there is strong evidence to suggest that the ingestion of large amounts of alcohol can decrease your memory abilities, lead to Korsakoff’s syndrome, and cause chronic liver diseases. Moreover, large amounts of alcohol may also inhibit the proper functioning of your endocrine system and may affect diseases such as diabetes. My advice is that you should not drink red wine for its health benefits. If you enjoy drinking red wine you may do so, but in order to gain the suggested benefits offered by the results from the Resveratrol research you would simply have to drink so much that the health benefits would be negated by the harmful effects mentioned above. However, there is some evidence to suggest that drinking a small amount of alcohol can have health benefits such as blood thinning which may help you to avoid heart attacks and strokes. The amount of alcohol you should drink to gain these healthy benefits is about 1 ounce a day. This is most likely a much smaller amount than most wine drinkers ingest.
So laugh and smile and enjoy your red wine and drink it in good health, but do not drink it under the guise that you are ingesting a health tonic.
Cheers, Dr Brian Armstrong
