Reported by www.longevinex.com:
For over a decade researchers have debated whether red wine produces health benefits because of its alcohol content, or because of other molecules in red wine. Now researchers at Nanjing Medical University in China report on the use of de-alcoholized red wine and cardiovascular health. Animals were fed alcohol, red wine, de-alcoholized red wine and pure research-grade resveratrol, a molecule found in red wine. Animals were then fed a high cholesterol diet and the human equivalent of 210 milligrams of resveratrol, or 280 millilters of red wine or alcohol-free red wine.
The results of the study are surprising. After 12 weeks the animals actually experienced a rise in circulating levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and “good” HDL cholesterol regardless of whether they were fed alcohol, red wine, alcohol-free red wine or resveratrol.
However, while cholesterol plaque formed in the arteries (thoracic aorta) of the cholesterol-fed animals, the size, density, and mean area of atherosclerotic plaques were significantly reduced in rabbits given de-alcoholized red wine, red wine, or resveratrol. Resveratrol prevents cholesterol plaque from forming within artery wall regardless of whether circulating levels of cholesterol are high or low!
Dealcoholized red wine containing known amounts of resveratrol suppresses atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic rabbits without affecting plasma lipid levels.
International Journal Molecular Medicine 16:533-540, 2005
Wang Z, Zou J, Cao K, Hsieh TC, Huang Y, Wu JM.
Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, P.R. China.
Moderate consumption of red wine is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). This phenomenon is based on data from epidemiological observations known as the French paradox, and has been attributed to CHD-protective phytochemicals, e.g. resveratrol in red wine. Since red wine also contains alcohol, it is conceivable that alcohol interacts with resveratrol to elicit the observed cardioprotective effects.
To determine whether resveratrol has alcohol-independent affects, we compared cardioprotective properties of dealcoholized Chinese red wine with alcohol-containing Chinese red wine having comparable amounts of resveratrol, using a hypercholesterolemic rabbit model and resveratrol as a reference. Animals fed a high cholesterol (1.5%) diet were simultaneously given water containing resveratrol (3 mg/kg/day) or red wine (4 ml/kg/day) containing 3.98 mg/l and 3.23 mg/l resveratrol for regular and dealcoholized red wine, respectively, for a 12-week duration. Total, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the plasma were measured before and after the cholesterol challenge. Atherosclerotic plaques in the thoracic aorta were evaluated using histochemical methods. Vascular and endothelial functions in the femoral artery were also assessed by ultrasonographic image analysis.
High cholesterol-fed animals showed a significant increase in plasma levels of total, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol, but not triglycerides, compared to those fed a regular diet. Dietary cholesterol-elicited lipid changes were similarly observed in animals concurrently fed dealcoholized red wine, red wine or resveratrol. In contrast, whereas atherosclerotic lesions were clearly evident in specimens prepared from the thoracic aorta of high cholesterol-fed animals, the size, density, and mean area of atherosclerotic plaques, and thickness of the intima layer were significantly reduced in rabbits given dealcoholized red wine, red wine, or resveratrol.
These results were in agreement with data obtained by an ultrasound analysis of endothelial function, which showed a 25% reduction in flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in rabbits fed a high cholesterol diet compared to animals on control diet. This decrease was effectively prevented by the simultaneous exposure to dealcoholized red wine, red wine, or resveratrol. Our study shows that animals given dealcoholized red wine exhibited cardio-active effects comparable to those of animals orally administered resveratrol, and suggests that wine polyphenolics, rather than alcohol present in red wine, suffice in exerting cardioprotective properties. The results also provide support for the notion that resveratrol and phytochemicals in red wine can suppress atherosclerosis without affecting plasma lipid levels.