Why Do Red Wine and Grapes Make You Sexier?

French are real lover boys due to the consume of red wine. Resveratrol, a product found in red wine and known for its antioxidant and anticancer effects, has been proved by many researches to boost heart health, erection and to impede prostate cancer. But resveratrol, a type of polyphenol, is abundant also in red wine grapes and winemaking residue (called pomace).

Now, we know why red wine consumers may live longer. But they may be sexier as well. A research published in the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry" and carried out by a team at Cornell's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, N.Y., and at the University of Rochester Medical Center, shows that resveratrol and other polyphenols, abundant in fermented seeds and skins discarded after grapes are pressed, combat the bacteria involved in tooth decay. Moreover, their action also decreases life-threatening systemic infections provoked by bacteria. And remember: this is about red wine, as the white wine contains 40% less phenols!

"Overall, the phenolic extracts disrupt essential virulence traits for a widespread, destructive oral pathogen, but without killing it," said co-author Olga I. Padilla-Zakour, associate professor of food processing at the experiment station.

The targeted bacterium is Streptococcus mutans, which releases most chemicals involved in tooth decay.

"Grapes are one of the world's largest fruit crops, with more than 80 percent of grapes used to make wine. Fermented winemaking waste contains at least as many polyphenols as whole fruit, so potential drugs could be made directly from the waste," said Padilla-Zakour.

To assess the content of polyphenols in red-wine grape varieties and their action on S. mutans, the team investigated 2005 grape varieties from New York's Finger Lakes region.

"The hope now is to isolate the key compounds within pomace that render bacteria harmless, perhaps by developing a new kind of mouthwash," said Hyun Koo, assistant professor of dentistry at the Rochester Medical Center.