The Medical Freedom Channel

“Scientists in the UK have identified ‘oligomeric procyanidins’ as the likely ingredient in red wine’s polyphenols that contributes to heart health and longevity. And some red wines contain more procyanidins than others. In the journal Nature, Dr. Roger Corder, from Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry in London, and his associates note that not everyone agrees that red wine actually possess heart-healthy properties, which they say may be due to the complexity and variability in the constituents in different wines. To look into this issue, the investigators cultured human blood vessel cells and exposed them to 165 different wines to identify the polyphenols with most potent effects on blood vessels. They found that procyanidins suppress production of a protein called endothelin-1 that constricts blood vessels.” (11/29/06)