'Miracle' antioxidant in wine and chocolate a myth

Sorry wine aficionados, foodies and health journos. An international team of researchers has debunked the popular belief that an antioxidant in wine and dark chocolate will help anyone live longer.

The 15-year study led by the US National Institutes of Health examined the levels of antioxidant resveratrol in the urine of nearly 800 people over 65 years old in the Chianti region of Italy, where daily red wine consumption is the norm.

The researchers found those subjects with the highest concentration of resveratrol were no less likely to die due to any given cause than anyone else. They also found that high resveratrol wasn't associated with lower levels of cardiovascular disease or cancer.

"The story of resveratrol turns out to be another case where you get a lot of hype about health benefits that doesn't stand the test of time," lead researcher Professor Richard Semba of Johns Hopkins University's said.

"The thinking was that certain foods are good for you because they contain resveratrol. We didn't find that at all."

But don't give up on your vino and chocky yet. While his team had trampled all over the benefits of resveratrol in wine, berries and dark chocolate, Professor Semba conceded other studies show those foods still reduce inflammation and protect the heart.

"These are complex foods," he said. "All we really know from our study is that the benefits are probably not due to resveratrol."

Mmmm. Complex foods.

The research was published in the JAMA Internal Medicine.

Source: EurekAlert; Author: Paul Stock; Approving editor: Lachlan Williams