Love a good glass of red wine, but hate going to the gym to work it off? This news will make your day
Research directed by the University of Alberta in Canada discovered that health benefits in resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, are similar to those one gets from exercise. According to the lead researcher, Jason Dyck, the results will particularly help those who are unable to exercise for various reasons. Resveratrol was found to improve physical performance, the cardiovascular system and muscle strength in the same way as after a gym session.
“I think resveratrol could help patient populations who want to exercise but are physically incapable,” Jason Dyck says.”Resveratrol could mimic exercise for them or improve the benefits of the modest amount of exercise that they can do.”
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The health benefits of red wine have been well documented as previous studies have found that those who drink a glass of red wine a day are less likely to develop dementia or cancer, have better heart function, age slower and have better regulated blood sugar.There’s also research backing that fact that it boosts heart rate. [adinserter block=”3″]
Though, we must be honest here – this is all in moderation, it only applies to red wine and the university’s study was carried out on rats, not humans. Further, it does not mean you can quit hitting the gym and just drink wine all day. The amount of wine necessary to have enough resveratrol to completely replace the benefits we get from exercise is well beyond human limits. That gym subscription will have to stay, sadly
Still, it does mean that modest amounts (up to one glass daily) can increase the effectiveness of your gym sessions, or stimulate your body if you cannot do any exercising. If you want to up your intake of resveratrol beyond wine, you can try blueberries, peanut butter, red grapes and dark chocolate. As in all matters of life, a balanced approach is best.
While we are talking about wine and weight, another study has found consuming red grapes or wine could slow the growth of fat cells.A team at Oregon State University exposed human liver and fat cells to extracts of four natural chemicals found in Muscadine grapes, a dark-red variety native to the southeastern United States.
One of the chemicals, ellagic acid, reduced the growth of existing fat cells and the formation of new ones and it boosted the metabolism of fatty acids in the liver cells. Sadly these findings don’t necessarily mean red wine is the solution to losing weight.
“We didn’t find, and we didn’t expect to, that these compounds would improve body weight,” said Neil Shay, a biochemist and molecular biologist at OSU”
However, the study highlighted the positive effect red grapes could have on liver function in overweight people. “If we could develop a dietary strategy for reducing the harmful accumulation of fat in the liver, using common foods like grapes, that would be good news,” Shay added.
Stay tuned for further studies on wine and don’t forget to share with your drinking buddies.
