Red wine: is this the way to lose weight?

It’s Friday night and you pour yourself a red wine: is this the way to lose weight? Well, you can raise that glass: US researchers say that drinking red wine can help fat burning and improve liver function, seemingly good news for those of us with a nose for a fine shiraz.

But before you raid your local Oddbins, it seems red wine is still not a miracle weight-loss cure. The scientists at Oregon State University say that it is unlikely the findings will extend to actual weight loss, although they suggested that dark-coloured grapes could perhaps be used to help manage obesity and ward off liver disorders.

Grape gains  

‘We didn’t find, and we didn’t expect to find, that these compounds would reduce body weight,’ says Neil Shay, a biochemist and molecular biologist in OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences. ‘If we could develop a dietary strategy for reducing the harmful accumulation of fat in the liver, using common foods like grapes, that would be good news.’
The mice used in the study, published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, were divided into those who were fed a normal diet, and those who were fed a high-fat diet. Unsurprisingly, the mice eating more calories quickly went on to develop fatty liver and diabetic symptoms. The mice that were also fed a daily quantity of pinot noir grape extract – the human equivalent would be one and a half cups of grapes – accumulated less fat in their livers and had lower blood sugar.
Good news for mice, but if it has little effect on humans of a normal body weight, are there really any benefits to the occasional glass of vino? Well, yes, plenty it seems. It seems like red wine in particular is hitting the headlines every other week. Here are just some of the other news stories from the past few months: it can boost memory; it’s good for your heart; it’s bad for tissue regeneration; it can impact fertility and, most recently, moderate drinking has no measurable health benefits whatsoever.

Magic ingredient

So, far, so confusing. For every scientific study out there it feels like you could find another study to contradict it. Experts say, however, that the one indisputable benefit of red wine is in keeping heart disease at bay. And it’s all down to antioxidants, says nutritionist Marilyn Glenville.
‘You may be wondering how the French eat even more saturated fat than we do and yet their heart disease rate is lower than it is in the US and UK,’ Dr Glenville says. ‘Grapes contain an antioxidant called resveratrol, which decreases the “stickiness” of the blood platelets and keeps blood vessels from narrowing.’
Teetotallers can still get the benefits of resveratrol. ‘Scientists have even compared the effect of alcoholic and non-alcoholic red wines, and found that the non-alcoholic version is actually better for the heart,’ Dr Glenville says.
Of course, just like with everything else you put in your mouth, red wine will only benefit you in moderation. But whether you prefer a handful of grapes as a mid-afternoon snack or a glass of wine with dinner, it seems that you can wine and dine yourself well.