|
The short-term consumption resulted in increased antioxidants
and better cholesterol benefits, concluded the study.
The study was published in the Sept.24 issue of Nutrition
Journal with subjects varying from 20-50 years old.
Objective of the Study
Previous studies on the cardiovascular-health benefits
of wine have tended to focus on older populations, and
on the treatment rather than prevention of heart ailments,
said the co-author Paul Lewandowski, from the School
of Medicine at Deakin University in Victoria.
Paul and two other researchers from different medical
schools in Australia sought to determine whether younger
people differed from older ones in their ability to
benefit from drinking red wine.
Findings
"Our findings shed further light on the nature
of the beneficial effects of red wine consumption and
give supporting evidence for the recommendation that
red wine provides protective effects for cardiovascular
disease," the authors wrote.
"Also, drinking patterns and not just the total
amount of red wine consumed is important in the association
between intake and protection."
Study and the Subjects
Twenty subjects between the ages of 18 and 30, as
well as twenty people aged 50 and older were recruited.
None of the participants took anti-coagulant or anti-inflammatory
medications. They did not have a history of cardiovascular
or liver disease either.
A week before the study started, the subjects abstained
from alcoholic beverages, grapes and grape products.
The scientists then took blood samples from each participant
to measure the levels of cholesterol and antioxidants
in their systems.
For the following two weeks, 10 young and 10 older
subjects were ordered to drink 400 mL of Australian
Cabernet Sauvignon daily, preferably at night with dinner.
The other 20 participants had to abstain from drinking
any wine. No one was allowed to consume any other form
of alcohol, grapes or grape products during the study
period.After two weeks, blood samples were taken again.
To serve as a crossover, all the subjects then abstained
from alcoholic beverages, grapes and grape products.
Blood sample was collected again, and the experiment
was repeated. This time the previously abstaining group
took turn drinking wine, and the original wine-drinking
group was ordered to abstain. At the end of another
two-week period, blood samples were taken.
The scientists found that the levels of total antioxidants
increased an average of 16 percent in the older group
that drank wine. This increase was only 7 percent for
the younger group.
Furthermore, the levels of harmful free radicals,
which are molecules that can damage systems in the body,
were reduced by around half after two weeks of drinking.
Antioxidants are believed to bond with and neutralize
free radicals.
Conclusion of the Study
The results strongly suggest that in the presence
of red-wine consumption, total antioxidant status has
the ability to increase significantly.
Study also suggests that a lifetime of red wine consumption
is not needed to achieve a sustained increase in circulating
oxidative protection; two weeks is long enough.
The red-wine drinkers also showed healthier, good HDL
cholesterol levels, though there was little effect on
the level of harmful LDL cholesterol.
Limitations of the Study
There were only a few participants observed for only
short periods of time. "Additional longer-term
studies, for a period of more than six months, really
need to be done to truly determine the long-term health
impact, relevant to responsible red-wine drinking,"
said Paul.
"The problem is that, despite having access to
a large number of willing participants who are prepared
to drink the wine for more than six months, funding
the project is a constraint."
Resource: http://www.winespectator.com/
|
