Can drinking red wine help you lose weight? Well recent studies have shown that there is a definite connection between a certain ingredient found in red wine, grapes, and berries that can actually help you lose weight. The ingredient is known as Resveratrol.
It is one of the several polyphenols found in these foods, and although the others are suspected to have a similar effect, Resveratrol is the most effective and has been studied the most.
Mice and Weight Loss Study
The International Journal of Obesity is where the study was originally published. The team of researchers was led by Professor Min Du and was done at Washington State University.
Scientists used mice in their study to see what the effects of Resveratrol would be if a human consumed just 12 ounces of grapes every day.
One group of mice received the equivalent of the amount of Resveratrol found in 12 ounces of grapes, while the others received nothing extra in their diet. Both groups received the same amount of food that was high in fat so that the mice would gain excess weight.
At the end of the study, the mice that were receiving the Resveratrol gained about 40 percent less weight than the other mice that were not given Resveratrol.
How Does Resveratrol Works?
There are two main ways that Resveratrol works that can help you lose weight. The first is in the way it interacts with the sugars in your body and the way they are absorbed. Resveratrol works with the muscles and increases their ability to absorb the glucose that comes from food.
Because the muscles are absorbing more glucose, there is less in the bloodstream. Less glucose in the bloodstream helps you lose weight because glucose causes the body to release insulin.
Insulin is a fat-storing compound, so having higher amounts of insulin will cause your body to store more fat.
The other way that Resveratrol aids in weight loss is in the way it prevents the body from producing mature fat cells and storing new fat at a cellular level.
When your body is unable to create new fat cells, it will then use the available glucose in the bloodstream for energy rather than fat storage.
Because your body then has extra energy, many people will feel this boost of energy and it enables them to get up and do more exercise, which also helps with weight loss.
Resveratrol in Red Wine
Because red wine is made from grapes, it does contain levels of Resveratrol, which can aid in weight loss.
However, it is important to note that red wine still has calories and that too much red wine will actually hinder weight loss because the calorie count will negate any positive effects that the Resveratrol may have.
For that reason, it is important to limit the amount of red wine you incorporate into your diet so that you can still get the pros while avoiding the cons.
Leave a Reply