Rats! Wine benefit not fully proven in humans

Eat, drink and be merry.... Really?
I hate to be the one to break some bad news, but red wine and a McDonald's diet is not a path to a long, healthy and happy life. One study; however, would have you believe they are.

A recent study published in the journal Nature found that rats who were given a standard healthful diet or a high-calorie diet along with resveratrol, a chemical found in grape skin and red wine, lived significantly longer than those not given resveratrol with their fatty diet.
So, why am I so skeptical about the benefits of red wine and grape skin?

First, the tests were done on rats and not on humans.

Assuming that resveratrol will have the same effect on humans needs proof, which is decades away. For example, an obesity-reducing hormone in rats called leptin made headlines in 1994; it has yet to be marketed to humans.

Second, no long-term effects of resveratrol are known in rats, let alone in humans. Tinkering with the body's chemical composition has its own hazards. Vioxx, a medication for arthritis, was a promising drug until long-term studies showed its hidden potential to cause heart attacks.

Third, the dose of red wine that will allow you to merrily enjoy a fatty diet and the promise of a longer life is just a tad bit high. For humans, the equivalent dose of resveratrol, if obtained from red wine, would be 1,000 bottles per day.

Another reason I am skeptical is that the lead author on the study, Dr. David Sinclair, is the founder and owner of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, which develops drugs like resveratrol.

I am not questioning the author's integrity, but being cautious of the findings and possible premature publication of results of such a study

However, to its credit -- and to the hopefuls including myself, the chemical resveratrol has shown some promise as a drug that can reduce diabetes and protect the liver. It may work by altering genes and reducing the effects of obesity. We do not know if lower doses of resveratrol can help rats or humans, but certainly they require further study.

Meanwhile, the next time you raise a glass of red wine and say "to your health and long life" you could add under your breath: "human studies pending."

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