Red wine can help prevent stroke damage
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-10-16 09:38 WASHINGTON - Red wine might
work to protect the brain from damage after a stroke and drinking a couple of
glasses a day might provide that protection ahead of time, U.S. researchers
reported on Sunday.
In an effort to better understand how red wine works, the scientists from
Johns Hopkins University fed mice a moderate dose of a compound found in red
grape skins and seeds before inducing stroke-like damage.
They discovered that the animals suffered less brain damage than similarly
damaged mice who were not treated with the compound, which is called
resveratrol.
"When we pre-treat the animals with the compound orally, then we observe that
we have a significant decrease in the area of stroke damage by about 40
percent," said Sylvain Dore, the lead researcher for the study.
Dore and his research team presented their results from the study, which was
funded in part by the U.S. government, at a Society for Neuroscience conference
in Atlanta.
"What is unique about this study is we have somewhat identified what can be
the specific mechanism," in the wine that is good for health, Dore said. "Here
we are building cell resistance against free radical damage."
The study showed that resveratrol increases levels of an enzyme in the brain
- heme oxygenase - that was already known to shield nerve cells from damage.
Dore said the beneficial effects associated with drinking a moderate amount
of red wine could be explained by the fact the wine turns on the heme oxygenase
anti-oxidant system.
"Red wine has been suggested for the heart. Here what we show is its special
effect in stroke and pre-treatment," Dore said. "It suggests that prophylactic
use of wine could work."
The fermentation process in wine-making boosts the concentration of
resveratrol, Dore said.
But said more studies are needed to translate the findings from mice into
humans.
The amount of wine that must be consumed in order to reap the benefits of the
compound will vary depending on a person's weight and the concentration of
resveratrol in the wine. But Dore said it will likely work out to about two
glasses a day.
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