Dramatic irony
When you think about liver problems, alcohol is almost always on the short list of possible causes. But it turns out that that may not necessarily be true. In fact, according to a recent study conducted at the San Diego School of Medicine, red wine may actually protect against liver disease. The researchers examined nearly 12,000 volunteers and found that those who drank one glass of red wine per day had 50 percent less chance of being diagnosed with a specific form of liver disease known as non-alcoholic fatty liver than non-drinkers. And the protective effect of the wine held constant even after they adjusted for other factors like age, gender, body mass index, and diet. Once again, they're crediting these benefits to resveratrol, a polyphenol found in the skin of grapes used to make red wine. And, unlike some other recent studies, these benefits do seem specific to red wine. In fact, the researchers found that the participants who reported similar moderate intake of beer or liquor actually four times more likely to develop non- alcoholic fatty liver disease. So if you enjoy a glass of wine with your dinner, as I do, this new information gives us one more reason to raise a toast to our health. Just keep in mind that in this study (and in every other study singing red wine's praises), the benefits come from drinking in moderation: One glass is plenty to reap the rewards -- any more than that and you risk doing more harm than good. Source:
"Red wine keeps liver healthy, suggests new study," NutraIngredients (www.nutraingredients.com), 5/22/08 | 
