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Food

17th Aug 2018

Drinking a glass of red wine has the same effect as going to the gym

Or so this study says...

Cathy Donohue

Very, very good news

A study says that resveratrol, a natural compound found in red wine, can improve physical performance, muscle strength and help maintain a healthy heart.

Researchers at the University of Alberta, Canada, found that resveratrol, also found in nuts and grapes, could potentially help people who want to exercise but find it difficult.

It is also likely to intensify the benefits of exercise for those who can only manage short bursts of strenuous activity.

Lead researcher, Jason Dyck, spoke to Science Daily about the findings: “We were excited when we saw that resveratrol showed results similar to what you would see from extensive endurance exercise training”.

“I think resveratrol could help patient populations who want to exercise but are physically incapable. Resveratrol could mimic exercise for them or improve the benefits of the modest amount of exercise that they can do”.

“It is very satisfying to progress from basic research in a lab to testing in people, in a short period of time”.

However, this only applies to one glass of wine and any more than that is likely to undo all the good work. So I guess the take-home is: drink but in moderation.