But if you need an excuse to crack open the red, well, now you have one.
Advertisement
Du said resveratrol is only one of the polyphenol compounds found in fruit that provides beneficial health effects.
Gans tells Yahoo Health that there’s no current recommended daily intake for resveratrol’s but says, “Overall foods that are rich in antioxidants should be part of a daily well-balanced diet”. This is equivalent to humans eating 12 ounces of fruit per day.
The research showed that the mice were able to change their excess white fat to active “brown” or “beige” fat which reduces weight gain by burning up calories.
Scientists discovered that the mice who ate a diet that consisted of 0.1 percent resveratrol gained 40 percent less weight than those who did not.
Other “polyphenol” chemicals in fruit may have a similar effect, the scientists believe.
Polyphenols in fruit, including resveratrol, increase gene expression that enhances the oxidation of dietary fats so the body will not be overloaded.
Beige fat is our weight loss friend because it has the ability to convert white fat into brown fat, the “good” type of fat that burns off regular body fat as fuel for your body.
A lead researcher in the study said blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, apples and red wine contain resveratrol.
Red wine is also a well-known source for the fat-burning ingredient but only to a lesser content compared to grapes.
For those of you who haven’t darted off to the shops to buy a crate of cheap red wine, here is lead researcher Professor Min Du, from Washington State University explaining how it works.
Resveratrol has been recognized as a natural way to combat different illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease and cancer. A recent report had shown that the burden of obesity in the United Kingdom could beat the total costs of war and terrorism. Numerous claims associated with the ingredient, however, are still debated on.
The findings are reported in the global Journal of Obesity.
Advertisement
