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Substance in red wine found to combat obesity, diabetes

Rob Stein, Washington Post
Friday, November 17, 2006

A component of red wine recently shown to help laboratory mice live  
longer also protects animals from obesity and diabetes, researchers  
reported Thursday.

The new research helps confirm and extend the possible benefits of  
the substance, resveratrol, and offers new insight into how it works  
-- apparently by revving up the metabolism to make muscles burn more  
energy and work more efficiently. Mice fed large doses could run  
twice as far as normal.

In addition, the scientists produced evidence for the first time  
linking the biological pathway activated by the substance to humans,  
showing that the same genetic switch that resveratrol mimics seems to  
naturally endow some people with faster metabolisms.

"It's very exciting," said Johan Auwerx, professor of medicine at the  
Institute for Genetics and Cellular and Molecular Biology in  
Strasbourg, France, who led the research, which is being published in  
the journal Cell. "This compound could have many applications --  
treating obesity and diabetes, improving human endurance, helping the  
frail. There's a lot of potential."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/17/ 
MNG7VMEKH61.DTL&type=health