The first study, published in the journal Aging, tested to see if the powerhouse compound had any effect on the lives of honeybees. The verdict: Bees that were fed resveratrol lived 38% longer than those who were not. What’s more, when it came to eating, these same bees ate less than those that weren’t fed the compound. “Resveratrol may be working by a mechanism related to caloric restriction—a dietary regimen long known to extend lifespan in many organisms,” says lead study author Brenda Rascón, a doctoral student at Arizona State University’s School of Life Sciences. More from Prevention: The Truth About 12 Confusing Foods For those who don’t drink, there’s something here for you, too. In the second recent red wine study, researchers from the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Spain wanted to see if moderate amounts of non-alcoholic red wine could reduce unhealthy levels of blood pressure. Over the course of four weeks, 67 men with diabetes, or at least three other cardiovascular risk factors, drank either 10 ounces of red wine, 10 ounces of non-alcoholic red wine, or three ounces of gin a day. The results? Men who drank the non-alcoholic red wine reduced their risk of heart disease by 14% and their risk of stroke by as much as 20%. “The non-alcoholic part of the wine—particularly polyphenols—exert a protective effect on the cardiovascular system,” says Ramon Estruch, PhD, a senior consultant at the internal medicine department of the HCB. “Polyphenols also have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that may be useful to prevent other diseases such as diabetes.” Ready to toast to your health? Check out 8 Reasons To Love Red Wine.
