If
you enjoy sharing a glass of a nice
red wine with friends and family, you may be working
on reducing your cholesterol while you're relaxing.
Scientists at the University of California, Davis, think
that a group of chemicals in red wine, called saponins,
are linked to the ability to lower cholesterol.
If
you have been following the discussions on the
French paradox you are already familiar with the
link between red wine and reduced risk of heart disease.
It seems that the French eat those delicious creamy
pastries; cheese is a whole course at dinner; and a
buttery croissant... sometimes with butter, perhaps with
a bit of cheese or meat sausage, is a regular breakfast
item.
Yet it seems that folks who grow up in France tend to
have less clogged arteries and are less obese than
Americans or Brits. For years this has been attributed
to red wines' health benefits – specifically the
compounds catechins and resveratrol, called
polyphenols, found in red wine. These chemicals also
have antioxidant or anticancer properties.
Andrew Waterhouse, Ph.D., Professor of Enology at UC
Davis, an expert in wine chemistry, says that
saponins are being found in an increasing number of
foods and their presence in wine adds to the mounting
evidence that red wine really may make a difference in
lowering your cholesterol.
"Saponins are a hot new food ingredient. People are just
starting to pay attention to it," says Waterhouse. It
seems that red wine contains about three to ten times as
much saponin as white. This is probably because the
saponins are found in the skins of the grapes and red
wines have longer contact with their skins in the
fermentation process.
The tests showed that the Red Zinfandel has the highest
levels of saponins followed by Syrah. Both Pinot Noir
and Cabernet Sauvignon had about the same amount. No
other red wines were tested, but scientists believe that
most red wines contain significant amounts of this
chemical.
The red Zinfandel that contained the highest level of
saponins among all the wines tested also had the highest
level of alcohol, at 16 percent. "We think that alcohol
may make the saponins more soluble in wine, but follow
up studies are needed," says Waterhouse.
Red wines contain about the same amount of
resveratrol and saponin. Resveratrol is thought to
block cholesterol oxidation by its antioxidant action
and saponins are believed to work by binding to and
preventing the absorption of cholesterol.
Saponins have been found in many other foods including
olive oil and soybeans. The desert plants such as the
Yucca and Quillaja have even higher levels of this
beneficial chemical. Studies have shown that saponins
affect inflammation pathways. This is exciting news
since it could have implications in heart disease and
cancer.
Scientist's are busy trying to discover all of the
potential benefits of red wine while they caution that
these results do not apply to anyone who drinks to
excess. Drinking a glass of wine can be good for you,
but drinking more has its own health effects that can
more than counteract the benefits in wine.
Source: American Chemical Society
Article compliments of www.chiff.com
