Solid Proof That Red Wine Is Good for You

From: Dina Spector at www.businessinsider.com/health-benefits-of-resveratrol-in-red-wine-2013-3#ixzz3Few6mM8r

Dina wrote a wonderful article displayed at http://www.businessinsider.com/health-benefits-of-Resveratrol-in-red-wine-2013-3#ixzz3Few6mM8r. In the article, she presents a natural ingredient found in red wine, Resveratrol, which can help fight off diseases associated with age. Since I have never met an individual who was not subject to the rules of aging, I would recommend your reading this great piece by Gina which is discussed in this article. Here conclusions are based on a new study that shows very promising results for red wine drinkers..

I captured the picture shown in Dina's article and I included the caption shown below the picture.  Since I am really into red wine for both health and spiritual reasons, I am bringing the essence of Dina's article forward for all to enjoy by using my own words to describe this phenomenon.  The fact is that there is a great chemical substance called Resveratrol that gives red wine many of its magical properties. Resveratrol is found in the skin of grapes--the part of the grape that gives red wine its color and its unique tastes and it provides the fermentation yeast. Resveratrol, as a helpful substance for years has been touted for its anti-ageing properties.

Now, researchers from all over the world, are studying this natural compound to see how they might be able to design better anti-aging drugs. As long as it does not put us back in our youth-cribs and require us to re-assume the fetal position, how can it be bad?

The researchers see Resveratrol working by increasing the activity of proteins known as sirtuins, a family of such substances found throughout the human body. These compounds are being studied as they appear to combat diseases related to getting older. Three of the prominent diseases being studied include type 2 diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's. Specifically, Resveratrol increases the activity of what is known as SIRT1, This acts to make our mitochondria — the cell part that turns food into energy in our cells — more efficient, as noted by the study.  

The recent research is not the first that notes the direct link between resveratrol and the SIRT1 protein. Dina Spector has been made the supposition before, and she has cited , Harvard genetics professor David Sinclair, and others.  

Sinclair, for example, published his work in 2012. It proves that mice that do not have the SIRT1 gene cannot receive the benefits of Resveratrol. Sinclair produced similar results in yeast cultures in a 2003 study. The problem that was discovered was that the proteins used in the original test to assure that the experiment was working, are not proteins that are naturally found in either animals or humans. And, because of this limitation, they were not able to figure out which part of the protein resveratrol binds to. And so, this was a milestone but not everything is accomplished so easily. 

David Sinclair, the Harvard Medical School professor shows in the picture that old yeast cells live longer when they are treated with resveratrol. The yeast cell in the picture as you can see on the website is big and yellow. The b/w picture in the book shows contrast. 

And, so in a new study, published online Thursday, March 7, in the journal Science, they found conclusive evidence of the properties of Resveratrol. Their discovery conclusively proves that the interaction between Resveratrol and SIRT1 is one of the ways red wine has its positive effects, the researchers claim. Drink up…but not too much! All things in moderation.  

Sinclair's conclusion states the following: "There is no rational alternative explanation other than that Resveratrol directly activates SIRT1 in cells," He follows up with:  "Now that we know the exact location on SIRT1 where and how resveratrol works, we can engineer even better molecules that more precisely and effectively trigger the effects of resveratrol," which will then allow them to design better anti-aging drugs. Right now of course, I am tickled to get my Resveratrol from fine tasting red wines.  

For full disclosure on the research in this article, please note that Dr. Sinclair is a co-founder and scientific advisor of a company that's developing synthetic Resveratrol molecules to treat diseases related to age, called. It is called Sitris Pharmaceuticals.  

As the study progressed, the researchers eventually screened for SIRT1 mutant proteins and found one particular protein that had a change in its amino acid (the building blocks of a protein) sequence that made it not respond to Resveratrol in a test tube experiment. So, they kept at it. In the next step, they tested how these mutated proteins reacted to Resveratrol in muscle and skin cells of lab mice, compared to normal SIRT1 proteins. When given Resveratrol, mitochondrial function was boosted in the cell with regular SIRT1 proteins but not those with the mutant protein. For wine drinkers all we need to know is that red wine is good. On this site, we also discuss white and blush wines and their properties.    

The researchers noted: "We discovered a signature for activation that is in fact found in the cell and doesn't require these other synthetic groups." As a result of this research and analysis, co-author Basil Hubbard, another scientist involved in the project, noted in a press release. "This was a critical result, which allowed us to bridge the gap between our biochemical and physiological findings."  

Not all great work is universally acclaimed. For example, Matt Kaeberlein, a biochemist at the University of Washington in Seattle who was not involved with the study, has expressed due caution of the finding: "This is a nice mechanistic advance in our understanding of how Resveratrol and other STACs (SIRT1 activating compounds) influence SIRT1 activity," Kaeberlein told the committee: "It certainly does NOT provide conclusive evidence that Resveratrol activates SIRT1 in animals, although it's consistent with that model.  

He wrote that there is no data in the study to reflect the conclusions regarding age-related diseases or whether sirtuins are good targets for drug development." he wrote. Nobody claimed that there were not significant advantages to red wine consumers because of the findings of substantial Resveratrol in the skin of red grapes.  

And, so, though researchers suggest that SIRT1 is not the only protein affected by Resveratrol, it is not disproven that the molecule may bind to other proteins that have positive effects on metabolism, and that these can aid its anti-ageing properties.  

For those with greater interest in this topic, feel free to read more at: http://www.businessinsider.com/health-benefits-of-resveratrol-in-red-wine-2013-3#ixzz3Fevytb3F