Could Red Wine Help Prevent Bowel Cancer?

Hold on to your hats people, the Ideal Wine Company has discovered yet another study about the health benefits of resveratrol. This time researchers are claiming that the wonder anti-oxidant can help prevent bowel cancer.

The wonder anti-oxidant

Resveratrol is an anti-oxidant that’s found on the skin of grapes, supposed to have more health benefits than a trip to the hot springs of Reykjavik.

In other words you can find resveratrol in red wine, and this is why red wine is supposed to have so many health benefits. According to various studies, resveratrol-laced red wine may be able to help you live longer as well as act as a memory aid, and be as good for your health as an hour in the gym.

Resveratrol and bowel cancer

A new study conducted by researchers at Leicester University has now shown that resveratrol can act as a safeguard against bowel cancer. Interestingly, the Daily Mail reported that this research found that the tiny amount of resveratrol in one glass of wine can be more effective than resveratrol supplements, which tend to contain much higher doses of the anti-oxidant.

The publication wrote that the University’s Karen Brown came to this conclusion by dosing mice that were genetically designed to develop the condition, with resveratrol. Brown discovered that low dosages of the anti-oxidant were twice as effective at preventing bowel cancer-related tumours, than dosages that were 200 times more powerful.

Effect of low doses

Professor Brown wrote in the journal ‘Science Translational Medicine,’ that she was “amazed” by the finding. However, she went on to add that resveratrol only had an anti-cancer effect on mice that were fed fatty foods.

She went on to say: “For the first time, we’re seeing that less resveratrol is more. This study shows low amounts may be better at preventing tumours than taking a high dose. The same might be true for other plant-derived chemicals and vitamins being studied for cancer prevention. There should be more research looking at the effects of low doses.”

Meaning for wine enthusiasts

This doesn’t by any means indicate that you can consume a full bottle of red wine to shield yourself from the risk of developing bowel cancer. However, it does indicate that if you purchase a Chateau Lafleur 1990 from the Ideal Wine Company and drink it modestly, you might be doing yourself the world of good!

Can Drinking Red Wine Help You Lose Weight?

The Ideal Wine Company recently discovered that a debate is currently raging throughout the medical world over the health effects of red wine. Can your favourite tipple help you lose weight?

Wonders of resveratrol

You must be familiar with the drill by now. Every few weeks, the national press will latch on to another study that shows that drinking red wine can improve your health. This is because it contains something called resveratrol.

This is an anti-oxidant compound that’s found in the skin of grapes, blueberries, raspberries and mulberries. Various research has shown that it has a range of health benefits, from improving physical fitness and curing acne to acting as a memory aid and even improving your attractiveness.

Weight loss aid

According to the Independent, research conducted by experts at Washington State University has proved that resveratrol can now act as a weight loss aid as well. They discovered that it has the ability to turn “white” fat into active “brown” fat, which burns calories.

The researchers proved this by dosing mice with the same amount of resveratrol that a human would consume if they ate 12 pieces of fruit in one day. The experts discovered that these mice gained 40% less weight than the ones who didn’t receive dosages of resveratrol.

This finding has been contended by the NHS. Decanter reported that the Health Service went on record saying that with the research in question “based on mice studies only, we don’t know whether resveratrol will have the same effect in people.”

Try yourself

So does this mean that red wine can help you lose weight? The jury’s still out on that one but you could always help clear up the confusion by trying the theory out for yourself.

We sell a fantastic collection of luxury Bordeaux wines here at the Ideal Wine Company. This historic French wine making region is known for creating some of the most scintillating reds the world has ever known. You could buy one and see whether red wine really does help you lose weight; even if it doesn’t, you’ll have a great time trying to solve the question!

Can Red Wine Help With Depression?

The Ideal Wine Company have heard it all now. A new study has found that red wine may be able to ease the symptoms of depression. It all has something to do with the wonder compound otherwise known as resveratrol.

The wonders of resveratrol

We’ve all heard the old wives tale. Drink two glasses of red wine a day and you’ll live to a ripe old age. However every day there seems to be a new study, a new piece of research, which shows us that it’s more than just an old wives tale.

Red wine is supposed to be good for you because it contains a compound called resveratrol. Let’s list the wonders of resveratrol. Scientists from the University of California found that resveratrol could be a cure for acne. Researchers from Canada discovered that the wonder compound could be better for you than an hour at the gym, improving muscle strength and heart function. A study in Texas suggested that it may be able to help you ward off age-related memory decline, making it a potential treatment option for conditions such as Alzheimer’s.

Resveratrol can prevent inflammation in the brain

Now scientists at the South Carolina School of Medicine have published a report which indicates that resveratrol could ease the symptoms of depression.

You need a bit of a history lesson to understand why. Earlier this year researchers stumbled on a game changing revelation. They found biological evidence which links depression to inflammation in the brain. The team at South Carolina School of Medicine conducted research which illustrated that resveratrol can ward off inflammation in the brain and thus, ease the symptoms of depression.

What happens when you give rats resveratrol?

They conducted two experiments with rats to prove their point. In both exercises they persuaded one rat to “bully” the others. The first time around some of the bullied rats developed depression-like symptoms along with brain inflammation, whilst others showed no sign of either.

They changed one thing the second time around. They dosed the bullied rats with a daily helping of resveratrol. The research’s lead author, Susan K. Wood, Ph.D. from the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience at University of South Carolina School of Medicine explained to Yahoo Health what happened:

“We measured neuroinflammation and tested for anhedonic behaviours (a prevalent symptom of major depressive disorder) at one time point — five days after the final stress exposure, which was also five days after the last treatment of resveratrol,” she explained. Wood elaborated that “it was at this point that resveratrol-treated rats had no evidence of anhedonia or inflammation compared with rats treated with a vehicle, meaning a placebo.” 

Drink up

Don’t treat this as gospel truth. Mental health is a serious issue and if you have a mental health problem such as depression, drinking copious amounts of red wine won’t do you any good. However this study shows that a glass or two of Armand Rousseau Clos de la Roche 1983 from the Ideal Wine Company could be good for your mental health!