Many studies have proven the health benefits of resveratrol including its ability to combat aging. However, a new study says that drinking too much red wine may actually have the opposite effect.
It is dubbed as the 'elixir of youth' because of its main ingredient that has been the subject of debate for many years. Resveratrol has been proven to be good in order to live longer, but too much of everything is not good for the body.
According to Mayo Clinic, drinking red wine in moderation is good for the heart. The antioxidant content of red wine may help prevent heart disease by increasing levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and protecting the body against artery damage. Its ingredient, resveratrol, might be the key in helping prevent damage to the vessels and reducing LDL levels.
However, resveratrol, may actually do the opposite when ingested in high levels. It can truly promote anti-aging effects but only in small doses. Too much of it could actually speed up the aging process rather than slowing it down.
The researchers analyzed how the chemical reacted with 'satellite cells' which play a major role in repairing damaged muscle as part of the body's natural regeneration. Resveratrol can also be found in chocolates and health supplements. They found out that the chemical had a different effect depending on the concentration they used.
They discovered that the chemical had a good effect on the cells when used in small doses. On the other hand, it created a bad effect when used in higher doses. Dr. Dr Hans Degens of Manchester Metropolitan University, lead author of the study said, "'Stronger muscles and the ability of the muscle to repair damage are important for a healthy lifestyle, especially in older age where muscle decline can have a series of implications for a reduction in our quality of life."
"Resveratrol protects red grapes, cacao beans and Japanese knotweed against infections and drought. So we analysed if resveratrol was able to promote the repair of muscle and reduce oxidative stress where free radicals (destructive molecules) speed up the ageing process," he added.
He continued, "Local muscle stem cells undergo a cycle when they repair and ultimately fuse with the damaged muscle fiber. At low doses, resveratrol did help the regeneration. However, if the dose is higher, it doesn't mitigate ageing from oxidative stress and even hampers the repair cycle.The results showed that the effects are dependent on the dose and it is unclear from the equivocal results if drinking wine or eating chocolate would have anti-ageing properties and repair muscle or the opposite."
The study was published online in the journal Scientific Reports. The researchers tested the cycle of muscle regeneration and found out that at 10 micromolar dose of the said chemical has stimulated muscle cell activation while when higher concentrations were used, they damaged the cells.
