Professor Charlie Bamforth enjoys what he professes
Maybe you drink a glass or two of red wine every day because you have heard about its high levels of heart-protecting antioxidants, such as resveratrol.
What you may not know: The main heart-helping ingredient in alcoholic drinks is ethanol—alcohol itself.
Charles Bamforth, PhD., Professor of Brewing Science at the University of California, Davis was recently interviewed by Bottom Line Personal. His article appeared in the October 15 issue. It is reprinted here in parts with permission from Professor Bamforth.
Landmark study: An international team of scientists led by researchers in the department of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health analyzed 10 studies that linked moderate intake of alcohol with a lower risk for heart disease. Four studies showed that wine lowered risk.. .four showed beer lowered risk...and four showed spirits lowered risk. All alcoholic drinks are linked with lower risk for heart disease, concluded the authors in British Medical Journal.
That study and others prompted the American Heart Association to declare, "There is no clear evidence that wine is more beneficial than other forms of alcohol."
Scientists don't yet know the exact mechanism by which ethanol helps the heart, but it's probably by boosting HDL (good) cholesterol...decreasing levels of the clotting protein fibrinogen, thereby reducing the risk for artery-clogging blood clots.. .and normalizing blood sugar levels (diabetes is a risk factor for heart disease).
Next: Drink beer to your health, Part 2: Lifestyle factors
Comments
Great article!
Resveratrol can help you to lead a long and healthy life so says many
doctors. Red wine alone does not supply enough resveratrol to achieve the
full range of benefits because one glass of red wine has only about
1mg of resveratrol and you need about 250mg/day. You need to take
high potency resveratrol supplements to achieve the results documented
in scientific studies.Resveratrol Supplements can also help you control
your weight naturally by increasing energy, reducing cravings, and limiting
your appetite.According to Wikipedia, Consumer Lab, an independent dietary
supplement and over the counter products evaluation organization,
published a report on 13 November 2007 on the popular resveratrol
supplements. The organization reported that there exists a wide range
in quality, dose, and price among the 13 resveratrol products
evaluated. The actual amount of resveratrol contained in the
different brands range from 2.2mg for Revatrol, which claimed to have
400mg of "Red Wine Grape Complex", to 500mg for Biotivia.com Transmax,
which is consistent with the amount claimed on the product's label.
Prices per 100mg of resveratrol ranged from less than $.30 for
products made by Biotivia.com, jarrow, and country life, to a high of
$45.27 for the Revatrol brand.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!