Red Wine For Sore Knees, Cancer, and Cholesterol

23 February 2006

Red Wine For Sore Knees, Cancer, and Cholesterol

Red wine could hold the secret to repairing joint damage caused by osteoarthritis, according to the latest research on sore knees.
Scientists have found that resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant found particularly in pinot noir wines grown in a humid climate, appears to halt the damage done to cartilage and speed up recovery.
The results, presented at a recent American College Of Rheumatology meeting in San Diego, showed the wine chemical protected cells in the knee joint against further damage.

Red Wine Reduces Knee Damage

In the new study into resveratrol's effects on osteoarthritis, tiny samples of cartilage taken from damaged knee joints were combined with the antioxidant compound,
slashing chemicals that cause inflammation in the joints by between 50 and 90 per cent. It also stimulated key proteins that play an important part in joint connective tissue.
The new findings come after a team of scientists from the New York University School Of Medicine decided to see if resveratrol would repair joint damage caused by free radicals.

Red Wine Reduces Cancer Risk

A wide range of studies suggests resveratrol has powerful healing properties that could combat illnesses from Alzheimer's and heart disease to various cancers and colds. Men who drink one glass a wine a day are likely to reduce their risk of the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer by 50 percent, according to a cancer research study by Janet L. Stanford, Ph.D., and colleagues in Fred Hutchinson's Public Health Sciences Division, published online in The International Journal of Cancer.
''The more clinically aggressive prostate cancer is where the strongest reduction in risk was observed,'' says Stanford.
(Full Report)

Red Wine Reduces Heart Attack and Stroke Risks

Resveratrol and other red wine anti oxidants also appear to reduce “anti-inflammatory” substances in the blood that are risk factors in the development of heart disease and stroke. US researchers have found that resveratrol benefits heart health by limiting the effects of a condition called cardiac fibrosis.

The research focused on the direct effects of resveratrol on cardiac fibrosis - a hardening or stiffening of heart tissue - a condition that can result from diseases such as hypertension (high blood pressure) and heart failure. The heart has to work harder to pump blood, which causes further damage. The study found resveratrol reduced the stiffening and collagen production.

The research is published in the online edition of the American Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory Physiology. Previous research has shown that resveratrol helps prevent blood clots and possibly reduces cholesterol.

Which Red Wine is Best for Health?

Resveratrol is produced naturally by grapes to fight off fungal diseases that can take hold when it's damp outside. The amount in wine varies widely, depending on the type of grape, where it's grown, and how it's processed.

Long sown in France's cool Burgundy region, pinot noir is considered a finicky grape to grow, in part because it is susceptible to rot, which may be the reason it produces more resveratrol than other grapes - up to 40 times as much as merlot and cabernet sauvignon. Since resveratrol is found primarily on grape skins, it is almost nonexistent in most white wines, which are fermented only after the skins are removed.

Many mass-produced red wines that are filtered to remove the tannins will also be very low because filtering also removes the health-giving property. Organic wines and wines made with traditional European methods do not use filtering so these are the ones to seek out if you are concerned about resveratrol levels.
One study showed pinot noirs from New York contained more resveratrol than the same varieties grown in California.
Some cabernet sauvignon and merlot, as well as grape juice, peanuts and raspberries were also high in resveratrol. And cabernet sauvignon was found to be highest in another polyphenol which reduces the fatty build up in artery walls that can lead to heart attack.

How much Red Wine for Positive Health Benefits?

Just how much you need to drink to benefit from red wine’s potentially life-sustaining effects remains unknown, but researchers suggest starting with a glass a day. The benefits are related to relatively low but consistent consumption. Bingeing once a week definitely won’t do it.

As resveratrol is vulnerable to fairly rapid destruction by light and oxygen, the fact that wine is stored in air-tight, cool conditions away from sun light protects the resveratrol content. Only immediately after a bottle of wine is opened is the maximum resveratrol potency available.

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