Before you start swilling wine by the bottle, consider that findings that a component of wine that helped lab mice overcome the fatal properties of obesity may not be a practical solution to those extra pounds.
While supplements containing the compound resveratrol are available, “typically the food itself is better vehicle for delivering the effect than the supplement,” said Linda Yerardi, a dietitian with Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. The supplements typically have little to no benefit.
Trying to drink your resveratrol has it’s own down sides, however.
Excessive alcohol use — more than two drinks per day on average for men or more than one drink per day for women — or binge drinking — more than four drinks for men or three for women — can lead to increased risk of health problems such as liver disease or unintentional injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
An Australian study showed drinking only on the weekends can double the risk of heart attack in men.
Earlier this month, Harvard researchers released a study showing that obese mice given high doses of resveratrol outlived fat mice in the control group by 31 percent. The study unleashed a flurry of media reports inviting readers to tip the glass to the health benefits of wine and an equally large marketing push by supplement makers.
