Health benefits of red wine

Associate Prof. Cédric Saucier, who runs the Enology laboratory at UBC’s Okanagan campus, has spent years trying to determine what is really going on in that glass of red wine. According to an article in Health Canal, the latest discovery stems from a “fishing” expedition to provide a more complete profile of the molecules already known to be in red wine.

Saucier – in partnership with researchers from Australia’s University of Adelaide and UBC graduate student Ryan Moss – knew they would find molecules called stilbenoids, the kind which are believed to have health benefits, what they found surprised them. There were 41 stilbenoid compounds, 23 of which have never before been detected in red wine.

Saucier said the discovery could lead to medical breakthroughs and perhaps more conclusive benefits of drinking wine in moderation. These 23 newly discovered molecules are related to resveratrol, a natural wine chemical found in the skin of red grapes known to have potential effects of preventing aging-related human diseases.

“These new molecules are likely to have very interesting biological properties and may contribute to the benefits from drinking red wine. Who knows where this could lead? Perhaps new drugs and medicine for the future?” Saucier said.

This article was first published in Health Canal.