For many years, prominent professors of cardiovascular surgery at certain Medical Schools have been recommending two glasses of red wine a day, preferably with meals, for their patients. It is now widely recognized by the medical community that the health benefits of red wine: the “French Paradox” are largely due to a natural polyphenol compound called resveratrol (rez-VER-a-trawl). Resveratrol was first discovered in Polygonum cuspidatum, a noxious weed whose roots contain high amounts. This plant, called the Japanese knotweed or fo-ti, has a long history of medicinal use in China. Resveratrol (3,4’-trihydroxystilbene) is chemically similar to synthetic estrogen and is now known to occur in over 70 species of plants.
Resveratrol is highly concentrated in grape skins and extracted into wine during the fermentation process. Classified as a phytoantitoxin, resveratrol is part of the vine’s defense against stress produced by infection (antibiotic and fungicide), chemicals, changes in temperature, and injury from light. The amount of resveratrol in red wine is influenced by viticultural methods, like canopy management and cordon type, and the winemaking process. Carbon fining and filtration do not affect levels but phenol binding resins used in large wineries do reduce levels. Skin contact time does not affect resveratrol content significantly, and grapes exposed to ultraviolet light prior to processing have significantly increased levels.
Environmental factors are also important. In a study at Cornell University, New York state wines had higher levels than any other region in the world. This is explainable by the humid climate in New York wine-growing regions. Since resveratrol is a fungicide, more of it is produced by the grape to fight mildew. Wines made from Pinot Noir have the largest amount of resveratrol and some New York Pinot Noirs have very
high levels. White wines contain negligible amounts. Many of the health benefits of resveratrol are just being explored, but what is known can be summarized as follows:
- Cardioprotective Agent Resveratrol through its phytoestrogenic effect protects vascular endothelium, inhibits LDL (bad cholesterol) oxidation, and is antiatherosclerotic. It inhibits platelet aggregation (thinning the blood and preventing blood clots) and increases HDL (good cholesterol).
- Cancer Chemopreventive Agent Resveratrol inhibits growth of a wide variety of human-derived tumor cell model systems and appears to be a promising chemoprotective agent.
- Life-Extending Agent Resveratrol boosts levels of the enzyme Sir2 which increases lifespan by stabilizing DNA (so far only demonstrated in yeast cell model).
- Cigarette Damage Reversal Harmful arterial damage caused by cigarettes can be counteracted.
