What are you thinking about?

New research at the University of Missouri performed by the department of Pharmacology and Physiology suggests that the antioxidant properties of botanical phenolics (resveretrol and quercetin) which are abundant in red wine help protect the brain from oxidative stress. Excess production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the brain has been implicated as a common factor causing neurodegenerative diseases. These include Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and stroke. Other botanical thought to be protective are curcumin from turmeric and catechins from green tea.



Breath Easy!

Many asthmatics use drugs such as dexamethasone which is a corticosteroid. These can save your life from an asthma attack but also carry short and long term side effects. Researchers at the Korean Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology have uncovered evidence that resveratrol may be as effective in suppressing airway hyperresponsiveness, eosinophilia and mucus hypersecretion. The model used was a mouse but this suggests further trials in people with bronchial asthma.



Don’t Forget Your Red Wine

Red wine is one of the best sources of resveratrol which over and over has demonstrated neuroprotective properties. At the Litwin-Zucker Research Center for the Study of Alzheimer’s Disease researches reviewed the scientific literature and found studies in cellular cultures and animal models shedding light on the molecular mechanisms involved in the beneficial effects of resveratrol intake against the neurodegenerative process in Alzheimer’s disease.



Your Heart Loves Wine Too

From “down under” at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation human nutrition researchers scoured the scientific literature and found accumulating evidence suggesting that grape extracts and polyphenols possess a diverse array of biological actions. One of these is the prevention of inflammatory-mediated diseases including cardiovascular disease. The active chemicals include resveratrol, phenolic acids, anthocyanins and flavanoids. These chemicals are classified as anti-oxidants and have been shown to decrease the low density lipoprotein- cholesterol oxidation and platelet aggregation. There also appears to be other biological mechanisms including prevention of atherosclerosis, arrhythmias and vasoconstriction.