Sydney: An ingredient called resveratrol found in red wine has remarkable health benefits including cancer prevention and protection of the heart and brain from damage, according to the latest research.
Low to moderate drinking - especially of red wine - appears to reduce causes of mortality, while too much drinking causes multiple organ damage.
According to professor Lindsay Brown from the University of Queensland: "Reports on the benefits of red wine are almost two centuries old.
"Studies on the actions of resveratrol, one of the active non-alcoholic ingredients, were uncommon until research around 1997 showed prevention of cancers. This led to a dramatic interest in this compound."
Dr Brown said that resveratrol reduces age-related diseases such as inflammation, reverses diabetes and obesity and has many more benefits.
Findings on resveratrol will be published in the September issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.