Italian researchers have found that moderate wine drinking acts like a booster for omega-3 fatty acids in plasma and red blood cells. This major finding of the European study IMMIDIET will be published in the January issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Omega-3 fatty acids, mainly derived from cold water fish like salmon, are known to help prevent coronary heart disease and sudden cardiac death.
"Several studies have shown that moderate alcohol consumption, including wine, is associated with protection against coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke. Although the mechanisms are not completely defined, there was some evidence that alcohol intake might influence the metabolism of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids, as omega-3," Romina di Giuseppe of the Research Laboratories at Catholic University of Campobasso, said in a statement according to a report.
"That is exactly what we found in our population study. People drinking moderate amounts of alcohol, one drink a day for women and two for men, had higher concentration of omega-3 fatty acids in plasma and red blood cells independently of their fish intake" adds the scientist who also headed the research.
However, as the scientists point out in the study, this benefit of red wine could be attributed to polyphenols instead of the alcohol content of wine. Polyphenols, which have strong antioxidant activity, are naturally occurring compounds found in a different variety of foods including berries, tea, beer, olive oil, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, walnuts, peanuts, pomegranates and grapes used in wine-making.
"Analysis carried out on different alcoholic beverages showed that the association between alcohol and omega-3 fatty acids was present in both wine drinkers and beer or spirits drinkers. However, the association was stronger between wine drinking and omega-3 fatty acids levels," says the statement.
"This suggests that components of wine other than alcohol are associated with omega-3 fatty acids concentration. We may guess this effect can be ascribed to polyphenols".
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