This is how red wine can ‘help fight the ageing process’ – but how much would you have to drink?
A COMPOUND found in red wine can help fight the effects of ageing, scientists have revealed.
Resveratrol mimics the benefits of a low-calorie diet and regular exercise when it comes to warding off our advancing years, they said.
But, before you rush out to stock up on your fave Malbec or Pinot Noir, it's not all good news for vino lovers.
Even the most thirsty among us are unlikely to drink enough in our lifetime to consume enough resveratrol to stop the inevitable happening.
However, the same experts also investigated the type 2 diabetes drug metformin.
And they found it has similar abilities in warding off the ravages of time - raising hopes for new anti-ageing treatments.
Resveratrol protects important connections called synapses - which help pass electrical or chemical signals in the body, according to the researchers at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute.
Dr Gregorio Valdez said: "We all slow down as we get older.
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"Gait, balance issues, and impaired motor coordination contribute to health problems, accidents, lack of mobility, and a lower quality of life.
";We work on identifying molecular changes that slow down motor deficits that occur with ageing.
"I believe that we are getting closer to tapping into mechanisms to slow age-induced degeneration of neuronal circuits."
Scientists treated two-year-old mice - generally considered to be old - with resveratrol for one year.
And the team paid close attention to synapses.
The synapses are essential for voluntary movement, sending key messages between the spinal cord and muscles.
Dr Valdez's past research has found that eating a healthy diet and exercise can protect these synapses from the wear and tear of ageing.
In this study, the team showed resveratrol can have a similar benefit.
The natural compound is a well-known chemical component of red wine.
Dr Valdez's team also found the diabetes drug metformin helped to slow the rate of muscle fibre ageing.
But, it didn't significantly affect the wear and tear of the synapses - though the drug may protect them in different dosage amounts.
I believe that we are getting closer to tapping into mechanisms to slow age-induced degeneration
Dr Gregorio Valdez
Dr Valdez said: "Metformin is an FDA-approved drug to treat diabetes, but our study hints it may also serve the purpose of slowing the motor dysfunction that occurs with ageing.
"There could be an opportunity for researchers and medical doctors to look at the patient population using this drug and ask whether metformin also has a positive effect on motor and cognitive function in humans."
As in the US, metformin is also approved by the NHS for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
But, Dr Valdez said humans would not be able to drink enough red wine to have the same benefits found in mice.
"These studies are in mice and I would caution anyone from blasting their bodies with resveratrol in any form," he said.
He added the next step is to identify exactly how resveratrol protects the synapses.
"If we know that," he said. " We can modify resveratrol or look for other molecules that are more effective at protecting the synapses."
The findings are published in the Journals of Gerontology.
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