🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1993Jan5.205348.14058@gov.on.ca> Stephen Davies,
daviess@gov.on.ca writes:
>I've heard of a relationship between lowered levels of cholesterol in
>the blood with consumption of wine or grape juice.  If anyone knows of
>technical references or information on this topic I'd like to hear it.

The article that has gotten all the press is:
Siemann and Creasy, Amer. J. Enology and Viticulture 43:49-52 (1992)

It has been known for some time that a compund called resveratrol reduces
serum lipids.  Siemann and Creasy found that there is quite a lot of
resveratrol in red wine (and, later,  in red grape juice).  The
hypothesis is that reseveratrol is the compound that prevents
red-wine-drinking eaters of cheese and cream sauce (aka Frenchmen) from
keeling over at a young age of clogged arteries and heart attacks.  

Resveratrol, by the way is a phytolalexin, essentially a fungicide that
the grapes make.  Grapes from places where fungal diseases do well tend
to have more of it.  New York is such a place (and the authors are from
Cornell).

Remember:  "Life is too short to drink bad wine"  :-)