In the immortal words of William Shatner, “I hate to be the bearer of bad news.”
But… you should know that, according to research very recently published in the journal Nature, our old pal resveratrol (a compound found in red wine, among other things) might not be the key to everlasting youth.
OMG! Who would ever have guessed such a terrible thing?! Oh wait, haven’t we been cautioning against the resveratrol craze for something like four years here on 1WD?
Anywaaaaaay… long-story-made-short, a 2006 Harvard study once found that resveratrol might increase production of proteins called sirtuins, which were found at the time to possible prolong the lives of obese mice. Good news for you red-wine-drinking obese mice out there, or so it was thought at the time.
Turns out, according to the findings being published in Nature, the initial study might have been flawed, and all this stuff around red wine/resveratrol/sirtuins prolonging life might have been a bit overblown. Bad news for you red-wine-drinking obese mice out there. And maybe also for GlaxoSmithKline, who paid over $700 million for the company that the initial study’s author David Sinclair founded to make a drug from the substance.
NPR.org has a great detailed report on all of the above, embedded below for your listening pleasure. I suggest relaxing with a glass of red wine while you listen to it – not because the red wine will make you live longer, but because the relaxing might help you live longer (or if not, at least help you enjoy the moment a bit more than usual).
Cheers!
Comments
13 responses to “Resveratrol, Red Wine And The Fountain Of Youth”
Thanks for your post that was interesting. I have heard for years how red wine was good for us. I am a fairly new wine person andI am still enjoying the white wines. I have not found a red that I like yet, I hear it is a process:-)
Kathiey – You will find a red that you like eventually, there's just too many out there, the odds are significantly in favor of it if you're willing to keep trying. Cheers!
My advice – Drink what you like, but don't drink poison!
Rather sage advice, Gerry. I wonder it Retsina qualifies as poison… ;-)
The last time I drank it, i thought Retsina created a reaction to poison in my system…if it walks like a duck, etc. etc.
As for red wine and health, does this news surprise me: not on your health!
Now, all of us who consumed 14 bottles of red wine each day in order to get the necessary volume of resveratrol that was supposed to be good for us can go back to ten bottles a day.
Thomas – that is crazy talk… let’s cut back to 11…
Well, I guess I don't have to worry that much I don't like red wine..There's so much to do to live younger and healthier..cheers!
naomi – If I didn't like red wine, I'd worry! ;-)
It's never one molecule that's going to make a difference in life. It's who we share all of our molecules with that adds to life for our years.
Well put, Sondra!
Oh good, I can now slow down my wine consumption that was steadily increasing each time the wife would say "Your getting old" That and the fact that all she says now is "This is getting old."
joeshico – HA! Actually that seems more an argument for speeding up your wine consumption? :)
I still cook with my red wine and sometimes put some in the food. Red wine still rules whether resveratrol rules or not. Poor disillusioned little mice.