To Your Health

The health benefits of the consumption of red wine have been known for a long time. But only during the past decade have studies increasingly focused on one particular and very promising compound found in red wine that holds great promise for human health.Several of the complex chemicals in red wine are in fact associated with beneficial side effects, given moderate consumption. But one type of polyphenol — resveratrol — has come to the forefront of research interest because of the astonishing variety of potential health safeguards to which it appears strongly linked.In a study slated for release in September but currently previewed at Science Daily, resveratrol's potential health-related payoffs include showing promise in aiding cancer and heart disease prevention as well as in the prevention of diabetes and inflammation. There may be others; in sum, a very impressive roster of good things.But don't peel off the winery label from the bottle and slap on a prescription label in its place just yet. Simply stated, we're just not sure how the compound behaves and operates once in the human system.Known to break down in the stomach, resveratrol's most effective pathway into the bloodstream (which seems to be required for its efficacy) may be through the lining of the inner cheek. It may be the case that slow, lingering, savoring sips are the key to getting the most out of that glass of cab.