Red wine 'won't extend your lifespan'

LONDON: Drink red wine for a healthy life -- but not for a longer one, for a new study has revealed that the "magic ingredient" of the alcoholic beverage only improves the quality of life and vigour in old age.

Previous studies have suggested that a few goblets of red wine daily could prolong life, apart from warding off the effects of age on heart, bones, eyes and muscle.

Now, an international team has found that although the chemical, known as resveratrol, in grapes slows down the rate of ageing when given in large enough doses over a long period, it does not actually extend lifespan.

"The study did not show that resveratrol actually extends life, only that it improves the quality of life," the British media quoted lead researcher Rafael de Cabo of the US National Institute of Ageing as saying.

The team came to the conclusion after analysing the effects of resveratrol on laboratory mice.

The researchers found that total cholesterol was significantly reduced in 22-month-old non-obese mice after ten months of resveratrol treatment. The aortas of 18-month-old obese and non-obese mice treated with resveratrol functioned significantly better than untreated mice.

Resveratrol also moderated inflammation in the heart. Treated mice tended to have better bone health, as measured by thickness, volume, mineral content and density, and bending stiffness compared to the non-treated control group.

The researchers also found that those animals fed on resveratrol were unlikely to develop cataracts in their eyes as compared to those who weren't given the dietary supplement. They noted that the chemical stimulated the same genes that're involved in extending a mouse's life.

"From a health point of view, the quality of life of the mice at the end of their days is much better. It suggests that resveratrol may extend productive, independent life, rather than just extending life span.

"We found that while quality of life improved with resveratrol, the compound did not significantly affect overall survival or maximum lifespan," de Cabo said.

The results of the study have been published in the 'Cell Metabolism' journal.