Red wine drug could help fight diabetes

The helpful ingredient found within red wine, reveratrol, has given rise to a new type of diabetes drug . The compound, SRT1720, has been found to protect mice from weight gain and insulin disorders. Furthermore, the drug appears to increase energy levels during exercise .
SRT1720 is thought to target a protein in a similar way to resveratrol, itself a chemical in the skin of red grapes that has been linked with anti-ageing and heart disease prevention.
A Professor at the heart of the study in Switzerland, Johan Auwerx, was reported in the Sun newspaper as commenting: “SRT1720 made the animals run twice as long.” The aim of the researchers is not to commence human trials and make the drug available commercially. The study was published in Cell Metabolism.