One of the substances contained in a glass of red wine has been found to protect lab mice from obesity and diabetes, as well as boosting their physical endurance. The news comes from fresh research conducted into the effects of resveratrol.
The substance apparently works by increasing the metabolism at which muscles burn energy, making them work more efficiently. Mice who were fed large doses of the substance could run twice the distance as normal. The study also linked, for the first time, pathways between the substance and human physiology.
A professor of medicine at the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology located in Strasbourg, France, led the research. John Auwerx, speaking about the study that is published in the journal Cell, said: “It’s very exciting. This compound could have many applications — treating obesity and diabetes, improving human endurance, helping the frail. There’s a lot of potential.”
Felipe Sierra of the National Institute of Aging agreed, saying: “This is the first example of a drug that can apparently affect the whole aging process, not just this disease or that disease but the mechanisms that allow these diseases to occur.”
Expect future investigations.

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