So this is pretty interesting. Everyone is worried about what they eat at one time or another, and we all know that obesity is a pretty big problem in this country. Well I guess red wine, and gapes is the new miracle cure! Red wine contains the compound resveratrol which is thought to fight cancer, heart disease, and neurodegernerative diseases, so that in it'self seems like enough of a reason to get more grapes in our diet. However grapes contain another amazing compound that has recently been discovered by scientists at Purdue University. It's called Piceatannol, and while it shares a similar structure to resveratrol it's very different. Apparently this compound works at the molecular level to slow and even stop the process of fat cell formation. And no fat cell formation means a skinnier you. A assistant researcher at Purdue named Kim had this to say. "Piceatannol actually alters the timing of gene expressions, gene functions and insulin action during adipogenesis, the process in which early stage fat cells become mature fat cells," Kim said. "In the presence of piceatannol, you can see delay or have complete inhibition of adipogenesis." Sounds pretty cool right?
This is a amazing find if it manages to prove effective on the large scale. These researchers have only used cell culture models of obesity, and it appears to be working. So in the long run, this compound just might prove to be the new miracle formula, if it's stability can be increased. Personally though, I just might start eating more grapes.
Posted By Dorian Pillari (c)
Many people have their mind set that the biggest factor in losing weight is exercise. While it certainly is an important factor, nutrition certainly has a massive influence on how and what your body stores as fat. Fruits as a whole are considered to be some of the healthiest foods a person can consume to maintain or lose weight; and seeing as wine is a product of grapes, it is natural that it would also posses some of its nutritious properties. The fact the the fruit has been allowed to ferment may actually act to beneficially raise levels of compounds like Piceatannol. It would be interesting to see if other fruits have similar compounds and could act in similar ways.
ReplyDeleteJeff Keating (2)
This is a really cool article. I took a nutrition class and they said that the Mediterranean diet is the most healthy. Italians and other Mediterraneans have lower incidences of cancer, heart disease, etc. This is because their diet emphasizes vegetables, olive oil, little meat, and of course, wine. All of these factors combine to make the Mediterranean diet the healthiest. Your article brings to the forefront how important wine and grapes in this diet really is. Obviously drinking too much wine would be bad for you, but everything in moderation seems to be the key.
ReplyDeletePosted By Erica Bonnell(1)
Being very health oriented (and being a wine drinker as well), I always am interested when I hear new information like this. As much as it comes down to eating the right foods, the number of calories in vs. calories out is extremely important. I just found out a couple days ago that a bottle of wine has around 575 calories. So have a glass, enjoy yourself, and know that what you're consuming could be good for your body in the process!
ReplyDeleteTaylor Pirog (2)
This i very interesting. I've always heard that a glass of wine a day is good for your health, but I always thought that had to do with its antioxidant properties. I don't think I'll start consuming more wine (as taylor said, lots of calories, and sugar too!), but I may start opting for grapes as one of my daily fruit servings instead of something else. Do you know if picetannol is found in any other fruits or vegetables?
ReplyDeletePosted by Laura Moro (2)
Great article, its really fascinating to see how much red wine can do for the body. Not only does it help you lose weight but it can decrease your chances of having heart disease. It seems that red wine should be incorporated into our daily meals to not only to get buzz, but to have a delicious drink knowing that its good for you. Do you think this article would change your diet habits a bit?
ReplyDeletePosted by Khoa Chu (A)
fascinating. i guess this is another reason to drink some franzia on the weekend. However, what is the recommended amount of grapes or wine to consume in order to get this healthy effects? because I'm sure there'll be a bad side effect if we consume too much doesn't it?
ReplyDelete-Hermann Kam