Are red wine and dark chocolate really health care products?

Researchers doubt in the health care effect of the resveratrol which is an antioxidant component of red wine, after they tracked the inhabitants of an Italian wine region for for nine years, and found no evidence that the substance can curb heart disease and bring longer life to allowing the consumers.

Studies have shown that consumption of red wine, dark chocolate and berries reduces inflammation, leading researchers to speculate that their common ingredient, resveratrol, explains why.
But Prof Richard Semba, of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and colleagues found no evidence for this. They chose two small towns in Tuscany as their test ground, and 783 elderly people who were living there agreed to take part in their investigation. The volunteers gave details about their daily diets as well as urine samples for measurement of their resveratrol intake.

During the nine years of the study, 268 of the men and women died, 174 developed heart disease and 34 got cancer.

But urinary resveratrol was not linked with death risk, heart disease risk or cancer risk.
Nor was it associated with any markers of inflammation in the blood. (MTI)