wine and health

Even as the silent epidemic of Alzheimer’s disease grows, wine’s positive if seemingly unlikely effects on brain health continue to offer a map toward a solution. It’s long been known from lifestyle surveys that wine drinking is a defining characteristic of the lowest risk group for Alzheimer’s (AD).* In fact, without exception regular wine consumption is the only factor that features in every study across the board. But given that alcohol is neurotoxic, it just didn’t seem to make sense. The resveratrol promise tested Resveratrol, the anti-aging miracle molecule in wine, offered a plausible explanation. Laboratory and animal studies showed that resveratrol works in several specific ways to counteract the noxious effects on brain cells of protein plaques called ß-amyloid, a marker for AD. While the role of ß-amyloid in the pathogenesis of AD is still not completely clear, it is evident that with enough resveratrol the formation of the plaques can be suppressed, and health of ...

93. We continue to hear about all of the ways by which wine might be good for the brain: activating memory and learning enzymes, untangling the plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease, and so on. But some have cautiously pointed out that the polyphenols that mediate these effects might not actually get into the brain tissue. Our central circuitry is protected by what is called the "blood-brain barrier" so that toxic molecules can't wander in at will. This of course also creates difficulties in getting medications and helpful nutrients across. Indeed, studies have shown that after oral ingestion, wine polyphenols might not get in to any great degree, suggesting that what we see in a test tube might not be happening inside the brain. But recent findings from Purdue University show that with regular daily consumption, levels do begin to accumulate in about a week to 10 days. So all of the things we have been saying about regular moderate consumption find more support...

77. Continuing our line of thought on wine and the brain, we turn to the question of alcohol's effects. Haven't we always assumed that alcohol kills brain cells, and so any positive aspects of drinking must be weighed against this? True, at high doses alcohol (as with anything for that matter) is toxic, but a recent review from Loyola University pointed to experimental evidence that moderate alcohol levels exert direct "neuroprotective" actions; that is, in addition to promoting healthy blood vessels that improve blood flow to the brain, the direct effects of alcohol on nerve cells are protective, at least in moderate amounts. Add this to the list of healthy effects of alcohol in moderation where cardiovascular disease is concerned, and keep it in mind the next time you see an ad for some supplement touting "all the benefits of wine without the alcohol" because that is of course not possible.