Drinking more red wine to lose weight? It’s a claim that sounds almost too good to be true.
Believe it or not, it’s reality now, according to a new study from Oregon State University.
According to the study, a chemical found in red wine, called ellagic acid, helped slow down the growth of fat cells and prevented new ones from forming in mice, making them less likely to gain fat.
Better yet, it also boosted the metabolism of fatty acids found in their liver, say researchers.
“If we could develop a dietary strategy for reducing the harmful accumulation of fat in the liver, using common foods like grapes,” says Neil Shay, an Oregon State University biochemist and molecular biologist in the Department of Agricultural Sciences. “We are trying to validate the specific contributions of certain foods for health benefits. If you’re out food shopping, and if you know a certain kind of fruit is good for a health condition you have, wouldn’t you want to buy that fruit?”
For the study, researchers used laboratory mice, animals which share similar biological similarities with humans. Here they fed them two diets: A normal mouse chow diet containing 10 percent fat or a diet containing 60 percent fat, modeling an unhealthy American diet.
Not surprisingly, after 10 weeks the mice on the high fat diet gained a lot of weight–and developed diabetic symptoms in the process.
However, some of the mice on this “fat” diet also received an extract of Pinot noir grapes, commonly used to make red wine. And that’s when researchers noticed distinct changes in the accumulation of fat.
The biggest change? These mice gained less fat in their livers–and their blood sugar was lower too, minimizing their risk of type 2 diabetes.
“Our mice like that high-fat diet and they overconsume it,” says Shay. “The ellagic acid and other chemicals bind to these PPAR-alpha and PPAR-gamma nuclear hormone receptors, causing them to switch on the genes that trigger the metabolism of dietary fat and glucose. Commonly prescribed drugs for lowering blood sugar and triglycerides act in this way.”
Now Shay hopes that these findings will encourage people to consider looking at foods to improve their health in the future–instead of looking solely at medications.
“The goal of [my] work is not to replace needed medications but to guide people in choosing common, widely available foods that have particular health benefits, including boosting metabolic function,” says Shay.
What This Means For You
Battling obesity is no easy battle, but by taking a sip of red wine, you could make the fight easier. For an easy boost, try adding a glass of wine to your diet–though research currently hasn’t been done on humans, the evidence thus far shows it’s a win-win for mice.
Readers: How often do you drink red wine?
Sources:
Another Reason to Drink Red Wine: It Could Help You Burn Fat, Study Suggests – ScienceDaily.com
Ellagic Acid Modulates Lipid Accumulation in Primary Human Adipocytes and Human Hepatoma Huh7 Cells – JNutBio.com
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