Red wine helps avoid inflammation--study

A latest study by UB researchers has established the benefits of a plant extract resveratrol, found in red wine, in suppressing inflammation in humans.

The team of researchers who initiated the research found that the plant extract has been known to extend the lifespan of yeast and other minute animals as it has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

It is made by plants when under attack by the pathogens, such as bacteria or fungi that are already present on the skin of red grapes and red wine.

Researchers claim that it can also be made by chemical synthesis, derived from Japanese Knot-weed.

Dr Husam Ghanim, UB research assistant professor of medicine and the lead author of the present study, informs that the plant extract could help in resistance from insulin also.

Study details
For the study, the researchers performed clinical trials using the plant extract and found that it helped in suppressing the radicals or reactive oxygen variety and unstable molecules that cause oxidative-stress and also released anti-inflammatory compounds into the blood stream.

The trail samples also demonstrated suppression of the inflammatory protein Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) and other compounds that resulted in augmentation of inflammation in the blood vessels and obstructed the insulin action that could lead to risk of developing ‘diabetes’.

“The product we used has only 20 per cent resveratrol, so it is possible that something else in the preparation is responsible for the positive effects,” explained another senior author of the study and UB‘s distinguished professor of medicine, Dr Paresh Dandona.

The present study and its findings have been detailed in the online portal of Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.