TORONTO – Instead of food, how about some red wine for thought?
A new study says that the effects of resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, not only extended the lifespan of honey bees by 33 to 38 per cent, but it also had a “satiety effect on honey bees and reduced their food consumption.”
While research has shown that there are chemicals in red wine that could have health benefits in terms of heart health and cancer, this latest research might reveal that red wine may help us stay thin.
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Brenda Rascón, from Arizona State University (ASU) with doctoral student Gro Amdam, an associate professor in ASU’s School of Life Sciences tested the effects of resveratrol on the bees.
Researchers tested its antioxidant effects – meaning that it could diminish the damaging effects of “free radicals” often released during stressful conditions. (Free radicals are believed to cause damage to cells). Resveratrol did not, however, prove to extend the lives of bees.
Yet, the bees tested with the compound were living longer, so researchers did more tests through their diet. By using different sugar solutions, they found that bees receiving resveratrol basically changed their perception about food.
“Surprisingly, the bees that received the drug decreased their food intake,” said Rascón. “The bees were allowed to eat as much as they pleased and were certainly not starving – they simply would not gorge on the food that we know they like.”
Resveratrol is believed to slow aging by “mechanisms that may be related to caloric restriction.” This is believed to increase lifespan, as well as prevent the onset of diseases associated with old age for organisms.
The effects of satiety effect of resveratrol have not been tested on humans. The study was published in the journal, Aging.
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