Wine & Health ???

Study Finds Red Wine Destroys Bacteria That Cause Lung Infections, Heart Disease Wine Spectator - Posted: Thursday, January 15, 2004 By Jacob Gaffney

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago report that both red wine and resveratrol may be effective killers of a bacteria known to cause lung infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis and even contribute to heart disease. The study was published in the December

The airborne bacteria, called Chlamydia pneumoniae, is responsible for 5 percent to 30 percent of respiratory-tract infections worldwide, according to studies cited in the research. In addition, a growing body of evidence shows that the bacteria may spread from the lungs into the bloodstream, possibly leading to plaque buildup in the arteries and thereby contributing to heart disease.

Study author Gail Mahady, of the university's College of Pharmacy, and her team sought to expand upon prior research that indicates that red wine or resveratrol -- one of the many polyphenols in red wine -- may reduce the risk of heart disease and other diseases. They wanted to look at how wine compounds may act in the body to produce these beneficial effects.

The researchers prepared samples of calf cells and infected them with C. pneumoniae. By subjecting the samples to a gas with 5 percent carbon dioxide, at temperatures of 95 degrees F, the scientists were able to re-create conditions similar to those inside human lungs.

After an incubation period, the cell samples were exposed for 72 hours to either California Pinot Noir, pure resveratrol developed in a lab, or azithromycin, an antibiotic commonly used to treat lung infections. The scientists repeated this experiment several times using varying concentrations of the different solutions.

Both the red wine and the resveratrol were as effective at destroying C. pneumoniae as the antibiotic, according to the study. However, the report did not supply details about how much red wine or resveratrol was needed to destroy the bacteria.

"In vitro, the [Pinot Noir] extracts and resveratrol kill the bacteria," said Mahady, who suggested that this may help prevent not only lung infections, but heart disease by eliminating C. pneumoniae from the bloodstream. But she added, "How this plays out in someone with heart disease already, we do not know at this point."

This is not the first time wine, and its polyphenols, have been shown to be bacteria busters. Previous research found that wine may help destroy ulcer-causing bacteria as well as E. coli and salmonella.

Other studies have found that wine drinkers have healthier lungs than non-drinkers or people who drink other alcoholic beverages. And resveratrol was recently found to help reduce inflammation and fluid buildup in the lungs, giving it the potential to alleviate ailments such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

Mahady said her team's results may have implications for future medical treatment. "Hopefully, with additional funding we will be able to determine if adding one to two glasses of red wine to the diet of patients with cardiovascular disease will make a difference," she said.

But the study cautioned against changing one's drinking habits until more research has been completed: "The mechanism by which red wine and resveratrol exert their beneficial effects in [heart disease] has not been completely elucidated."