Can red wine extend human life? More research
 | There's more proof that red wine may extend human lifespan based on recent research. The study, which dosed mice with resveratrol, was conducted by Sirtris, a startup that was recently sold to GlaxoSmithKline for $720 million. Resveratrol is an ingredient in most red wines. Scientists have long derided the idea of life-extending elixirs, but the door has now opened to drugs that exploit an ancient biological survival mechanism, that of switching the body's resources from fertility to tissue maintenance. |
The improved tissue maintenance seems to extend life by cutting down on the degenerative diseases of aging.
But some scientists believe that it is far too early to draw definite conclusions. One concern is whether wine contains enough resveratrol to have any significant affect. The other is that there hasn't been enough research done to date and that mice may respond to resveratrol differently to human beings. Read the International Herald Tribune article for more on the research.
In a separate study researchers found health benefits at levels equivalent to three or four glasses of red wine a day in humans, but they believe that a glass of red wine a day might provide all the resveratrol the heart needs.
Nevertheless, remember to always drink in moderation as excessive drinking can have other side affects.
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