The Latest Good News About Red Wine

By now, you've certainly heard the buzz over resveratrol, the substance in red wine that's been proven to significantly extend the lives of lab mice. The initial question was, could this explain the French paradox?

Of course, the French paradox is where French people eat a diet rich in saturated fats, but manage to have low rates of coronary disease.

But resveratrol probably isn't the catalyst for the Paradox, because you would have to drink dozens of glasses of wine per day to get the results. And I'm sure that would turn your liver to Swiss cheese, so what's the point? There must be another answer.

One possible solution is a substance in red wine called "procyanidins," reports the Washington Post. "Procyanidins appeared to have the most potent beneficial effect on the cells that enable arteries to power the heart," read the Post article.

Interestingly enough, people who live in the region where wines highest in procyanidins are made, southwest France, tend to live the longest.

The Post points out that procyanidins also turn up in dark chocolate, apples and cranberries.