Component of red wine, grapes, can help reduce inflammation

Georgia: A component of red wine and grapes can help control inflammation induced by a bacterial pathogen that is linked to upper respiratory tract inflammatory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) and middle ear infection (otitis media), according to a study by researchers at Georgia State University.The findings, published in the online journal Scientific Reports, identify a novel mechanism that resveratrol, a compound found naturally in some plant foods such as grapes, uses to alleviate inflammation in airway disease. The results suggest this compound could offer health benefits and be used to develop new, effective anti-inflammatory therapeutic agents.

Drinking 'plenty of red wine' won’t help you lose weight

NHS: Sorry to be party poopers, but The Daily Telegraph’s headline "How to lose weight – drink plenty of red wine," is simply nonsense. First, the study it reports on did not involve red wine. Second, it was carried out on mice, not humans. The mistaken headline was triggered by a study in mice looking into whether resveratrol, a plant polyphenol chemical found in the skin of red grapes, can stimulate the development of brown fat deposits within white fat tissue.

Soil bacteria plays a role in wine quality

Scimex: Vineyards producing high-quality 'classic' wines may owe their success to the local bacteria rather than soil chemistry, argue the authors of new US-led research. The scientists compared microbes growing on grapevines and in the soil of Merlot vineyards in New York, Californian and Bordeaux, and found the same types of beneficial bacteria in all three locations - suggesting that it is not so much the chemical makeup of soil that affects wine quality, but the bacteria in vineyards.

Is it risky to taste wine?

Adelaide: Acid could poses rapid risk to wine tasters' teeth.  New research from the University of Adelaide shows the acid in wine can make teeth vulnerable to erosion within minutes, prompting renewed calls for professional wine tasters to protect their teeth.