OT: I have decided to join the early adopters!
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Ananova:
Red wine 'could protect against lung disease'
Evidence of the possible health benefits of red wine has been boosted further with researchers suggesting it could be used to help treat serious lung disease.
Past studies have linked components of red wine with helping to prevent cancer, protect against heart problems and improve brain function.
The latest study to point to the potential benefits of drinking red wine, published in the journal Thorax, suggested that the component resveratrol seemed to "damp down" the inflammatory process in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Researchers from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London said this polyphenol antioxidant compound, found in the skins of red fruits like grapes, could be developed to treat the disease.
Smoking is the main cause of COPD, which is irreversible and progressive. It causes the lungs to deteriorate, making it difficult and eventually impossible to breathe.
To assess the impact on the lungs, the Imperial researchers also ran experiments using smokers. The inflammatory process of COPD involves cells called macrophages, which produce powerful chemicals - interleukins - which stimulate the growth and activity of other immune system cells. They also produce chemicals to prolong cell life and generate free radicals in the process.
The research team isolated macrophages in lung fluid samples of 15 smokers and 15 COPD patients.
In one experiment they artificially spurred the macrophages into action using an interleukin or cigarette smoke, then added resveratrol. In another test resveratrol was added without any artificial stimulation. In the unstimulated samples, resveratrol almost completely wiped out the production of interleukin 8 - by 94% in smokers' macrophages and 88% in the COPD group.
The production of interleukin 8 was around five times as great in patients with COPD as it was in smokers. In the samples which were stimulated, resveratrol more than halved the amount of interleukin which was produced, and almost halved the amount of cell life enhancer.
The researchers concluded that the resveratrol or related compounds could be more effective than corticosteroids, which are usually used to treat COPD, but it was not clear how much of the compound would reach the lung tissues.
Story filed: 06:49 Tuesday 28th October 2003
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I consider this a win - win situation. Now the only problem is convincing Blue Cross Blue Shield that this is a valid preventative regime so that an ample supply of this medication may be imbibe-- ahhh, applied.
Stakddek
TOYOURHEALTH!
