Red Wine May Aid Weight Loss

Well, this is the best news I’ve heard in a long time…an ingredient in red wine may actually help treat and prevent obesity.

Researchers at the University of Ulm in Germany recently published their findings that Resveratrol, a compound present in grapes and red wine, prevented pre-fat cells from increasing and prevented them from converting into mature fat cells. Resveratrol was also found to have some other positive health benefits including reducing substances in the body that may be linked to the development of obesity-related disorders, such as diabetes and clogged coronary arteries. Resveratrol also stimulated the production of the protein adiponectin, which is known to decrease the risk of heart attack.

If you have ever wondered why the French can eat fattier foods, but remain so healthy, then red wine may be the answer. For example, the typical diet of people in Southern France includes a very high proportion of cheese, butter, eggs, organ meats, and other fatty and cholesterol-laden foods, topped off with red wine at most meals. This type of high fat diet would normally promote heart disease, but the rate at which it occurs in Southern France was discovered to be much lower than in America.

So drinking a glass of red wine with your meals may help prevent all sorts or health problems, including obesity. Of course, it is not recommended to exceed a glass or two as drinking more than this will actually cause more harm than good. Also, drinking red wine with your meal is not a green light to eat whatever you want then expect to lose weight.  Wine or not, you still have to consume a healthy diet lower in calories if you are to shed those pesky pounds.

Reference: Fischer-Posovszky P. Red wine’s resveratrol may help battle obesity. Presented at The Endocrine Society’s 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. 2008 Jun 17.