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November 17, 2006
Red Wine Ingredient Increases Endurance, Study Shows
This morning, as part of my daily routine, I’m reading the daily news briefs sent out by the American Dietetic Association and I spot this article: Red Wine Ingredient Increases Endurance, Study Shows. This sounds interesting – no more running, all I need to do is drink red wine? Sounds a little too good to be true (red flag #1). Turns out one researcher has found that “a drug already shown to reverse the effects of obesity in mice and make them live longer has now been shown to increase their endurance as well.� Mice running on a treadmill run to exhaustion after 1 km. Give mice some resveratrol, a minor component found in red wine, and they can run for 2 km before exhaustion! They have a reduced heart rate and more mitochondria (energy producing cells) in their muscles (which means they can use more fat as energy), just like trained athletes do.
Resveratrol appears to affect a group of enzymes called sirtuins that help keep your body healthy in youth and protect you from disease. Although red wine does contain resveratrol, “its presence there is minuscule compared with the doses used in the experiments.� “No one can drink enough red wine to obtain such doses.� Lastly – this is only one study (red flag #2). For me, lots more research is needed before red wine replaces running shoes on my annual Christmas wish list.
So, looks like the best advice is still – if you don’t currently drink wine, it is not recommended you start with hopes of preventing disease, keeping you young or improving fitness. Some people should not drink alcohol (if you have liver disease, abuse problems, are taking certain medications or if you have high triglycerides). If you do drink alcohol – do so in moderation (the dietitian’s favorite word) – this means one drink a day for women, 2 drinks a day for men. One drink is 5 oz of wine, 12 oz of beer or 1 ½ oz liquor. Be responsible…don’t drink and drive…you know the drill.
Posted by Lisa at November 17, 2006 10:50 AM
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