Wine! Who doesn’t love this wondrous nectar? Wine has been enjoyed by people for thousands of years. Unlike beer, which was “invented” by humans, wine was discovered accidentally when people from different parts of the world consumed “spoiled” grapes. You see, grapes are full of sugar and they also have yeast living on its skin, which allows it to ferment. One can only imagine how those people felt when they unwittingly got buzzed off of old grapes! Once they figured out what was going on and how to replicate it, delicious wine colonized the world.
And am I ever glad it did because not only does wine make me one happy camper, it can also help me shed excess weight.
While alcohol consumption has typically been linked with weight gain, the opposite may be true when it comes to red wine. Scientists from Pursue university examined the compound inside red wine called resveratrol, which is converted to piceatannol after consumption. Piceatannol is apparently able to delay or even completely stop immature fat cells from developing.
Other schools, such as Harvard and University of Denmark have also conducted studies and found that those who drank wine every day had slimmer waistlines than those who don’t. Wowza! Perhaps this explains the French Paradox in which French are so thin yet they consume so much wine. And if weight loss isn’t enough for you, the compounds in red wine decrease the risk of heart disease, combat inflammations, and inhibit the growth of breast and cancer cells. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a glass of Barbaresco to enjoy before going to bed. Thank you, science!
