Scientists have recently suggested that red wine may be considered the 'elixir of life and youth', as a moderate, regular consumption of the drink was shown to cut risks of a wide range of severe conditions and also to prolong life span. Even if trials have only been conducted on mice so far, resevratrol antioxidant compound in red wine was found extremely effective in reducing the likeliness for developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer etc. in the obese animals.

The lab study has been carried out by researchers at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr David Sinclair, one of the scientists involved in the study, stated: "The 'healthspan' benefits we saw in the obese mice treated with resveratrol, such as increased insulin sensitivity, decreased glucose levels, healthier heart and liver tissues, are positive clinical indicators and may mean we can stave off in humans age-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, but only time and more research will tell."

Red grapes are excellent sources of vitamins A, C, B6 and folate, containing almost all the beneficial minerals (potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, selenium, phosphorus in high amounts and zinc, manganese and copper in smaller amounts). They are also loaded with proteins and fibers. But what makes physicians and scientists praise grapes so much is especially linked to the natural pigments found in these fruits: the flavonoids. Flavonoids are red, blue or violet pigments that confer the same color to the plant or fruit, therefore they are mostly found in red or blue-violet grapes, rather than in white grapes.

Along with quercetin, resveratrol is the most potent flavonoid found in grapes. Quercitin flavonoid is responsible for most of the extremely efficient effects of grapes intake mentioned above. However, resveratrol is as potent a flavonoid as quercitin, as it also helps fighting against or treating cardiovascular disease. Moreover, a previous scientific study published in April this year in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showed that resveratrol can reduce risk stroke with 30%. This results from the flavonoid's ability to clear blood vessels and improve blood flow to the brain.

Another scientific research has previously shown that resveratrol is very efficient against prostate, lung, liver and breast cancer. The anti-cancer property of the multipotent flavonoid is to be found in its power to inhibit cancerous cells involved in the initial and progressive stages of cancer.

The current study was conducted on middle-aged mice who have been fed on a high-fat and calorie diet, which caused the animals to become obese and develop conditions such as type 2 diabetes (due to insulin resistance), cardiovascular disease and related health disorders.

When researchers started to add to the animals' high-in-fat-and-calorie diets resveratrol supplements, the health of mice started to improve. They did not lose weight, instead levels of glucose in their blood went down, their sensitivity to insulin increased, their liver tissue and heart became healthier etc. Researcher Dr. Rafael de Cabo from the National Institute on Aging at Harvard Medical School, who took part in the study, pointed out: "After six months, resveratrol essentially prevented most of the negative effects of the high calorie diet in mice."

Moreover, resveratrol regular intake cut premature risks in mice and prolonged their life spans. Results found that the antioxidant chemical in red wine cut death likeliness in the animals by 31%. At the same time, compared to their peers who went on with a normal diet, obese mice receiving resveratrol lived 3 to 4 months longer.

Professor Peter Rabinovitch of the University of Washington wrote in an accompanying article of the report published in the Nature Journal: "The safety of resveratrol at the high doses in humans comparable to those used by the researchers is unknown, especially over the course of years or even decades, when relatively modest side-effects could have dramatic consequences."