Red wine appears to protect the heart and prolong life. Now a new study suggests it may also be a weapon against obesity.

    Resveratrol, a compound present in grapes and red wine, appears to inhibit the development of fat cells and have other anti-obesity properties, according to a report from researchers at the University of Ulm in Germany. The findings, to be presented this week at The Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco, show that in laboratory experiments with so-called “pre-fat cells,'’ resveratrol prevented them from converting into mature fat cells. Resveratrol also hindered fat storage in the cells. 

    The compound also reduced production of certain cytokines, substances that may be linked to the development of obesity-related disorders like diabetes and clogged coronary arteries. Resveratrol also stimulated the formation of a protein called adiponectin. The substance, known to decrease risk of heart attack, is diminished by obesity.

    “Resveratrol has anti-obesity properties by exerting its effects directly on the fat cells,” said the study’s lead author, Pamela Fischer-Posovszky, a pediatric endocrinology research fellow in the university’s diabetes and obesity unit. “Thus, resveratrol might help to prevent development of obesity or might be suited to treating obesity.”

    Whether to add red wine to your daily diet must be balanced against other health risks. For people with alcohol dependency problems, the health benefits of red wine are far offset by the risks of drinking to excess. Excessive use of alcohol can lead to addiction, traffic accidents and potentially fatal medical problems. 

    Increasingly, studies support the idea that drinking a small amount of alcohol each day — no more than one to two servings — is better for you than not drinking, but the findings don’t apply to everyone. Even small amounts can increase risk for certain health worries, like breast and colon cancer. Although those risks are generally offset by the extra heart benefits, some people may decide it is not worth it. 

    紅酒似乎可以保護心臟并延年益壽。現在一項新的研究表明，紅酒還可能是對付肥胖的武器。

    白藜醇是一種在葡萄和紅酒中富含的化合物，根據德國烏爾姆大學研究報告稱，它似乎可以抑制脂肪細胞的發展，同時有其它抗肥胖的功效。該發現將于本周在三蕃市舉行的內分泌學會年會上發表，它表明實驗室有關所謂的“前脂肪細胞”實驗中白藜醇可防止這種細胞變成成熟的脂肪細胞。白藜醇同時還阻礙了細胞中的脂肪堆積。

    該化合物還降低某種細胞因子的產生，這是一種可能與肥胖相關的紊亂的形成有關，比如糖尿病和冠狀動脈堵塞。白藜醇還可刺激一種叫做低脂聯素的蛋白質的形成。這種物質據稱可以降低患心臟病的風險，由于肥胖而減少。

    “白藜醇通過對脂肪細胞產生影響而具抗肥胖作用”，研究第一作者，大學的糖尿病和肥胖單位的小兒科內分泌研究員Pamela Fischer-Posovszky說。“因此，白藜醇可能助于防止肥胖形成或者可用來治療肥胖癥。”

    是否在日常飲食中加入紅酒必須綜合考慮其它健康風險因素。對于酒精依賴病人來說，紅酒的保健作用可以會因過量飲用的危險而抵消。過量飲酒可導致上癮，交通事故和潛在的致命性醫療問題。

    研究日益支持這一觀點，即每天飲少量酒，不多于一到兩杯，比不飲酒更好。但這種發現并不適用于所有人。即使少量酒也可以增加某些方面的健康擔憂，比如胸腺癌和結腸癌。盡管這些危險常常被額外的有益心臟的好處所抵消，有些人可能還是覺得不值得。