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Red Wine, Sweet Elixir of Youth
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 25, 2003
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 25, 2003
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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Excellent news for wine conoisseurs, winos, and those interested in living longer: A study says
red wine extends life! It's all due to a nautral chemical substance called resveratrol, a compound found largely in the skins of red grapes. Also, resveratrol is found in grapes of cooler climates, like New York State, in what can only be a boon to the New York wine industry. The Times quotes the Oxford Companion to Wine: "Pinot Noir tends to have high levels of the chemical, while Cabernet Sauvignon has lower levels; Wines produced in cooler regions or areas with greater disease pressure, such as Burgundy and New York, often have more resveratrol, whereas wines from drier climates like California or Australia have less."
According to the Times, resveratrol is "designed to mimic the effect of a very low-calorie diet in rodents" and "human life spans could be extended by 30 percent" if humands responded "the same way as rats and mice do to low calories." Of course, it'll take years before the research is conclusive, and health authorities aren't saying "drink more red wine" (they point out there is weight gain associated with added drinking - hey, most of us learned that in college), but it gives Gothamist an added pleasure in our current red wine consumption. And reminds us that we should try to get through the bottle quickly: Resveratrol in unstable to air exposure, and "goes off" within a day.
Scientists are also relieved, because it seems to solve the "French Paradox" - why the French live longer even though they drink more and eat more fatty food. It's tempting, but Gothamist isn't even going to touch the French Paradox - way too easy.
Gothamist on the city wine bars and NY wine country. And for some mood music:
- Red Red Wine by the Replacements
- Or the Red Red Wine by Neil Diamond, later covered by UB40
- And a bottle of red, as well as a bottle of white, is mentioned in Scenes from an Italian Restaurant by Billy Joel.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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