These findings appeared online in Experimental Neurology.
WASHINGTON - Researchers have discovered that red wine consumption may protect the brain from damage following a stroke.
After simulating an ischaemic stroke (i.e.caused by blocked blood supply), mice which had been previously fed red wine antioxidant resveratrol, suffered significantly less brain damage than the ones that had not been given the compound
Sylvain Doré, associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, says his study suggests that resveratrol increases levels of an enzyme (heme oxygenase) already known to shield nerve cells in the brain from damage.
“Our study adds to evidence that resveratrol can potentially build brain resistance to ischemic stroke,” says Doré.
Red wine has received a lot of attention lately for its purported health benefits. Along with reducing stroke, moderate wine consumption has been linked to a lowered incidence of cardiovascular disease - the so-called French paradox.
He also notes that even if further research affirms the benefits of red wine, no one yet knows how much would be optimal to protect the brain, or even what kind of red wine might be best, because not all types contain the same amount of resveratrol. More research is needed, he says. So say I. Cheers!
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