In recent years, red wine has received some
pretty good press. When we think of a healthy
form of alcohol, red wine tends to be the top
choice.
But why – and does it deserve all the attention?
Scientists agree that there is something in red
wine that, when drunk in moderation, can help
to protect the heart, reduce ‘bad’ cholesterol
and prevent blood clots.
But there is little agreement of what is causing
those beneficial effects.
Recently, Uruguayan chemists went to such
great lengths to discover the secret of their
healthy home-grown red wine that they
sequenced the genome of the Tannat grape
from which it is made.
That was prompted by the discovery that those
wines contained high levels of procyanidins – a
class of flavanols found in plants, fruit and cocoa
beans.
Roger Corder, professor of experimental
therapeutics at Queen Mary University of
London and author of The Red Wine Diet, made
the discovery and confirms that the Tannat
wines contain three to four times more
procyanidins than Cabernet Sauvignon.
He says they – alongside the high concentration
of tannins, which combat the ageing of cells –
are likely to be behind its health-giving
properties.
Other scientists are excited about a compound
found in the skin of red grapes called
resveratrol.
For many years, it has been hailed as a kind of
wonder drug – an anti-ageing compound, which
could extend life, combat obesity and cure
cancer.
But, so far, studies on resveratrol have taken
place in the lab – as yet there is no evidence that
it can be effective in humans.
Cancer connection
Dr Emma Smith, science communications officer
at Cancer Research UK, says it is a mistake to
drink red wine and believe it is doing good.
Not all red wines are made the same way
“Red wine only contains very small amounts of
resveratrol and people shouldn’t drink wine in
an attempt to get any health benefits.
“It’s important to remember that, even in
moderate amounts, alcohol increases the risk of
several cancers and has been estimated to
cause around 12,500 cases of cancer a year in
the UK.”
Researchers at the University of Leicester are,
however, looking at whether resveratrol, on its
own and not in red wine, could one day be
developed into a cancer-preventing drug.
Experimenting on mice in the lab, they have
found that a daily amount of resveratrol
equivalent to two glasses of wine can halve the
rate of bowel tumours.
They now want to take their findings further and
find out how the compound might work in
humans by carrying out clinical trials.
Prof Karen Brown, from the department of
cancer studies and molecular medicine at
Leicester, says her research must not be
misconstrued.
“We’re not saying red wine can prevent cancer –
we are looking at the pure compound.
“Alcohol is not good for cancer – but it just so
happens that red wine contains resveratrol.”
Good pips
Even in red wine, Prof Roger Corder says there is
little evidence that resveratrol is an important
ingredient.
“It’s a myth that resveratrol has anything to do
with the health benefits of red wine.
“Most red wines contain only negligible amounts
of resveratrol and those that do contain some
have too little to have any effects.”
Instead he says it’s the pips, and not the grape
skin, which are key.
When the grapes are fermented for several
weeks or more, that is when flavanols can be
released from the pips and these evolve into
more complex molecules.
But the bad news is that doesn’t always happen
with all wines, he says.
“Most modern style wines don’t take that
approach to wine-making.”
What people should focus on, he says, is
drinking wine in a healthy way.
“It’s very hard to say wine is a healthy drink
when people consume too much alcohol, at the
wrong time of day and without food.”
The best way to drink wine is in moderation with
food, Prof Corder says.
Taken in this way, wine is more likely to have a
beneficial effect on our health – not an adverse
one.
