Heart Protective Effect of Red Wine not Exclusively Due to Resveratrol. Melatonin Potentially the Major Player!
Resveratrol, the red wine polephynol still is in everyone's mouth (literally, as well as metaphorically), yet a recent (Lamont. 2011) study published in the Journal of Pineal Research indicates that another hitherto overlooked constituent of the fermented grape juice factors into its protective value: Melatonin.
Lamont et al. found that, at the doses which can be found in red wine, naturally, individually, as well as in combination resveratrol and/or melatonin ...
Lamont et al. found that, at the doses which can be found in red wine, naturally, individually, as well as in combination resveratrol and/or melatonin ...
... significantly reduced infarct size compared with control hearts in wild-type mouse hearts (25 ± 3% and 25 ± 3% respectively versus control 69 ± 3%, P < 0.001) [...] Furthermore, perfusion with either melatonin or resveratrol increased STAT3 phosphorylation prior to ischemia by 79% and 50%, respectively (P < 0.001 versus control).Both, melatonin, as well as resveratrol, appear to work via the "survivor activating factor enhancement" [SAFE]. What I consider more important, yet is the scientists' finding that
[...] melatonin confers a comparable protective effect to resveratrol but at a concentration 30,000 times lower.And their conclusion that "melatonin may be considered as a primary antioxidant in red wine". So what else could be healthier than a glas of good wine right before a good night's sleep?
