A study conducted by Israeli scientists suggests that healthful chemical compounds in wine may thwart formation of harmful substances released during digestion of fat in the meat.
The study, which reinforces the benefits of consuming wine and other foods rich in so-called polyphenols during meals, appeared in the June 11 issue of Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry brought out bi-weekly by American Chemical Society and reported in .
the Science Daily
In the study titled The Stomach as a "Bioreactor": When Red Meat Meets Red Wine conducted by Joseph Kanner, Gorelik, Shlomit, Ligumsky, Moshe and Ron Kohen point out that scientists attribute wine's health benefits, including protection against cancer and heart disease, to its high levels of polyphenols, powerful antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables.
However, the body does not absorb polyphenols easily, and scientists have been puzzled about how and where these substances exert their beneficial effects.
The researchers found an explanation in experiments with laboratory rats fed either red meat or meat combined with red wine concentrate. Wine concentrate substantially reduced formation of two by-products of fat digestion, malondialdehyde and hydro peroxide, which are toxic to cells.
The scientists say that the stomach acts as a "bioreactor" that facilitates the beneficial effects of polyphenols which work not only to prevent generation of cytotoxic compounds, but also as compounds which prevent the absorption of cytotoxic compounds from the gastrointestinal tract into the blood stream.
The study was financed by a grant from the United States–Israel Agricultural Research and Development Fund.
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