How many times have you heard that red wine is good for your health? We know that polyphenols (powerful antioxidants that are believed to be protective against cancer and heart disease) are abundant in red wine. But how they exert their beneficial influence was a mystery – until now. New research led by Dr. Joseph Kanner of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has shown that polyphenols can act inside the stomach to reduce the formation of malondialdehyde, toxic byproducts produced during digestion of meats and high-fat foods. Based on these results, Dr Kanner and his colleagues argue that previous research looking for antioxidants from wine in the bloodstream was a mistake. They do not need to be in the blood to be useful. They just need to be in the stomach at the time the toxic metabolites are produced. Therefore, they recommend drinking wine with your meals. Their research also suggests that eating fruit at the end of a meal is a healthy habit since fruits are rich in polyphenols. Full story.
Tags: anti-cancer, antioxidant, malondialdehyde, polyphenol, red wine
Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.
October 29th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
[...] This week British scientists announced the production of a genetically engineered purple tomato they hope someday will help to fight cancer. The tomato is purple due to its high levels of anthocyanins, a type of antioxidant found in berries such as blackberries and blackcurrants that have been shown to lower risk of cancer, heart disease and some neurological diseases. Not to be outdone, researchers at Rice University in Houston are working on a beer that can also be used to fight cancer and heart disease. Their secret ingredient is resveratrol, the antioxidant found in red wine that is supposedly responsible for the positive effects of the brew. The researchers believe they can make a beer that contains higher and more consistent concentrations of the cancer-fighting chemical. Learn how resveratrol works here. [...]
October 30th, 2008 at 8:48 am
The rave on all these anti-oxidents is trivial. Are we able to say in the scheme of things that statistically there are less cancer deaths due to anti-oxidents? Can it just be to coincidence that one ‘gets’ cancer as opposed to those who do not? I know of three women who have drank red wines of varying degrees of color ‘red’ and ALL have had some form of cancer. Each of the three have died.
One of those drank RED wine every day of her adult life.
How much of this is bunk and to what degree is there scientific fact that these anti-oxidents against free radicals have ANYTHING to do with fighting cancer OR preventing it in real live non-lab petri dishes?
This I want to know.
October 31st, 2008 at 2:27 am
sir is alchoal is good for healthy is it increase the life
October 31st, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Kumarrachakonda asks if alcohol is good for your health, and also if it increases the life, which I take to mean ‘life span’.
Alcohol is of course a poison, which if taken in sufficient quantities can and will irreparably damage the tissues and organs of your body and will shorten your life considerably, either in the short term or in the long term, so in fact it will kill you.
It is pleasurable and has not been proven harmful to partake of alcohol in moderation as part of a normal diet as many people around the world have done for thousands of years.
Wines and beers are beautiful to savour, many indeed are fine wines and beers, but some others, particularly cheaper beers and wines may contain a variety of added chemicals that are not fine at all and can be more damaging than the alcohol content.
It has long been claimed by some researchers that polyphenols, antioxidants found in red wine particularly, may have some beneficial health effects in that they may protect against certain forms of cancer and heart diseases. Nothing has been proven, so perhaps it is as well to maintain an open mind, and enjoy the beauty of good wines and beers sensibly as part of our diet.
They certainly help to make life very enjoyable!
April 27th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.