14 DAY TRIAL // Let's face it, we've known for quite a while now that red wine works wonders for the heart. It's our best friend when we want to set the mood and it's forever by our side when we're going through a breakup and need to be comforted.
Interestingly enough, a new paper in the scientific journal Nucleic Acids Research argues that, metaphorical talk aside, red wine really is good for the heart. More precisely, it can help keep it safe from all sorts of conditions.
How red wine benefits the heart
Researchers with the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz in Germany and colleagues say that, having carried out a series of laboratory experiments, they found that a compound that is naturally occurring in wine can stave off heart disease.
The chemical compound in question is known as resveratrol and evidence at hand indicates that it can prevent the formation of inflammatory factors that can eventually lead to the onset of various cardiovascular conditions.
As detailed in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, heart conditions and chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis tend to go hand in hand. What's more, studies carried out over the years indicate that inflammatory processes also up a person's risk to suffer a stroke.
“More recent research has shown that cardiovascular diseases are significantly promoted by inflammatory processes in the body,” Junior Professor Andrea Pautz said in a statement, as cited by EurekAlert.
Seeing how resveratrol puts a leash on inflammatory processes by blocking the synthesis of the factors that birth them, it's safe to assume that this compound can offer protection against heart disease, maybe even lower stroke risk.
This hypothesis is backed up by the fact that, although they are big fans of fatty foods, the French don't have very high heart disease rates, the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz scientists behind this investigation argue.
Don't pop that bottle open just yet
True, it might be that resveratrol can help lower heart disease and stroke risk. However, this does not mean that we should start drinking red wine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as appealing as this idea might sound to some people.
Instead, scientists hope to figure out a way to use this chemical compound that is naturally-occurring in red wine to develop new drugs and treatments that keep inflammatory processes in the body on a tight leash and that, in doing so, stave off heart and brain trouble.
“The natural substance resveratrol thus has major therapeutic potential, particularly when it comes to the treatment of inflammatory diseases that can cause serious damage to the cardiovascular system,” Junior Professor Andrea Pautz and colleagues explain.
