Resveratrol in red wine may help fight obesity and diabetes

The component in red wine that has been shown to protect against heart disease may offer other health benefits too. New research using mice has found that resveratrol, which is found naturally in red wine, protects the animals from obesity and diabetes. The research was carried out at the Institute for Genetics and Cellular and Molecular Biology in France. It has given new insight into how the substance works, which is apparently by revving up the metabolism to make muscles burn more energy. In the experiments, mice were fed large doses of resveratrol along with a high-fat, high-calorie diet. It was concluded that the substance significantly reduced the animals’ chances of becoming obese and of developing signs of diabetes. The mice, meanwhile, appeared to experience no adverse side effects. However, the scientists said that much more research is needed, cautioning that noone could drink the amount of red wine equivalent to the doses.