Red wine may protect against Alzheimer's

The research by Dr. Giulio Pasinetti of Mount Sinai School of Medicine is only the latest to find health benefits in moderate red wine drinking. Red wine has also been shown to reduce levels of bad cholesterol and to protect against heart disease and some cancers, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

Pasinetti and his colleagues, working with mice carrying a gene linked to Alzheimer's, fed them either red wine, water or ethanol. They found that mice given red wine had significantly less memory loss.

The cabernet was made in the nutrition department at the University of Florida so its chemical makeup is known exactly.

Scientists believe that natural anti-oxidants found in grape skins and seeds are responsible for the health benefits of red wine. Unlike white wine, red wine is fermented with the skins still on the grapes.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International