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Health Watch: Wine & Diabetes
"Good news for the more than 17 million Americans who have been
diagnosed with diabetes: A recent Harvard Medical School study
of 109,690 women aged 25 to 42 who consumed a glass or two of
wine a day for 10 years reduced their risk of Type 2 diabetes a
whopping 40 percent, compared to those who drank no wine.
Beer drinkers' risk fell only 30 percent, and spirits' drinkers
risk, 20 percent. Studies that have been conducted on men
have shown similar results. The reason? It's likely
that the antioxidant properties in wine protect against the
free-radical damage and inflammation that researchers now
believe contribute to the development of Type 2 diabetes." -Wine
Enthusiast, July 2005 Issue |
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"All
things Grape and Small"
"Resveratrol, a chemical found in red wine, has long been
touted for its cardiac benefits and anticancer properties.
Now a new study says that Resveratol may also ward off flu.
"Rather than directly attacking the flu virus itself,"
reports the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious
Disease Research & Policy, "resveratrol seems to block
host-cell functions that are essential for vital
replication." Moreover, because it works indirectly, "resveratrol
[is] less likely to induce resistance...and...would probably
be effective for all types and strains of flu." -Quarterly
Review of Wines, Autumn 2005
"Wine drinkers have healthier kidneys than nondrinkers,
according to a study reported in the May 9, 2005 issue of
'Archives of Internal Medicine.' Conducted by Boston's
Brigham and Women's Hospital, a Harvard Medical School
Affiliate, the 14-year study followes 11,000 middle-aged
male subjects (all physicians, by the way), and concluded
that "alcohol consumption was not associated with an
increased risk of renal dysfunction. Instead, [the]
data suggest an inverse relationship between moderate
alcohol consumption and the risk of renal dysfunction."
-Quarterly Review of Wines, Autumn 2005
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Study Links Wine to Lower Risk of Stomach Cancer
"New research from Denmark should sit well with wine lovers:
Scientists found that wine drinkers had a lower risk of gastric
cancer than teetotalers or beer and spirits drinkers.
The researchers, headed by Morten Gronbaek of the National
Institute of Public Health in Copenhagen, estimated that one's
risk of stomach cancer is reduced by as much as 40 percent for
each glass of wine consumed per day. "Risk of gastric cancer
seemed to decrease with increasing wine intake," the authors
wrote in the 'European Journal of Cancer Prevention.'
The results may be attributed to several factors, the
researchers explained. Previous research has found that
wine helps wipe out Hellicobacter pylori, a bacteria that
is associated with peptic ulcers and gastric cancer.
Certain polyphenois abundant in wine, such as resveratrol, may
contribute to an anticancer effect. Furthermore, wine has
been reported to increase gastric activity, which may decrease
the activity of carcenogans in the stomach.
The team examined data on more than 28,000 participants in three
long-term health and lifestyle studies in Copenhagen.
When compared with non-drinkers, participants who drank one to
six glasses of wine per week had a 24 percent lower risk of
gastric cancer. (A glass of wine was defined as 4 to 5 ounces.)
The risk was around 35 percent less for people who drank seven
to 13 glasses of wine weekly. The few people who drank
more than 13 servings of wine per week showed an 84 percent
lower risk than nondrinkers. The scientists found no
statistically significant reductions in risk for beer or spirits
drinkers or nondrinkers." -Wine Spectator, October 2005 |
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A Drink a Day
Keeps the Pounds Away?
"For years, the customary thinking has been that if you
want to lose weight, cut out the booze. Now comes a study
suggesting that alcohol use may actually protect against
obesity. Researchers analyzed data from more than 8,000
respondents to a major national health and nutrition survey and
found that one or two alcoholic drinks a day cut the risk of
obesity by 46 or 59 percent, respectively. Moderation is
key, though: Binge drinkers and those consuming four or more
drinks a day were much more likely to be overweight or obese." -Wine
Enthusiast, March 2006 |
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