Red Wine: Elixir of Life?
We are all used to hearing about the negative effects of drinking alcohol: how it damages our liver cells, can increase the risk of cancer, and can cause heart problems. Of course, this tends not to stop people from drinking; it simply means alcohol is regarded with more caution. But perhaps we need not always feel so guilty.
Whilst all these health concerns are valid, and apply equally to red wine when consumed in excessive amounts, studies remain that propose a range of health benefits from drinking small amounts of red wine. Some studies further claim the potential to reverse ageing.
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The health benefits largely come down to the presence of a molecule called resveratrol, a polyphenol from the skin of the red grapes used to make red wine. Polyphenols are naturally occurring compounds categorised by the presence of more than one phenolic group. Resveratrol has been found to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-obesity, neuroprotective, and anti-ageing effects.
Studies investigating longevity are difficult to carry out using humans due to the long time frame required. Instead, most research is done using animal models such as fruit flies, mice, and nematodes. These studies provide mostly positive results, supportive of resveratrol promoting longevity, and increasing the lifespan of the animals by up to 50 per cent. It was also found to have a beneficial effect on age-related symptoms like eye degeneration, locomotive deterioration, neurodegeneration, and body weight gain.
However, there have been some studies investigating the effect of resveratrol in humans too. One study used human cells ex vivo, in which resveratrol was shown to induce autophagy, the orderly breaking down of damaged cellular elements and dysfunctional proteins. This allows cells to operate more efficiently and can contribute to the anti-ageing effect. Another study directly investigated the effect of moderate red wine consumption on longevity-associated genes in a population of nuns and found that their activity was increased.
A study at King’s College London showed that red wine drinkers also have greater gut microbe diversity compared to non-red wine drinkers. This is thought to be due to the polyphenols in red wine, which act as fuel for the microorganisms of our microbiomes. More diverse microbiomes are supportive of better general health and a longer lifespan.
Surprisingly, alcohol has also been found to have some health benefits. Some researchers have found that regular, limited amounts of alcohol can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Low-to-moderate alcohol consumption has been shown to cause long-term reductions in stress signalling in the brain, which is thought to explain the protection against cardiovascular disease for moderate drinkers.
Rather than encourage people to drink more wine, the aim of most research on the anti-ageing effects of red wine is to uncover the protective mechanisms promoted by red wine consumption so they can be harnessed and triggered in a way that avoids the harmful effects of alcohol. An example of this is the consumption of resveratrol supplements.
A prominent professor of genetics at Harvard, David Sinclair, is a promoter of “anti-ageing” supplements. In an interview with GQ, he described his daily habits which he claims have helped reverse his biological age by a decade. He consumes a resveratrol supplement every day with his morning yoghurt and drinks matcha tea, another source of polyphenols.
The term “elixir of life” may be a slight exaggeration, and there are many other factors that will be more important in determining lifespan, but the research does suggest that including some red wine in a healthy diet and active lifestyle should promote longevity, so you might as well give it a go.