If you are wondering how to get your summertime skinny back, red wine may be your answer.
We have a feeling that you’ll have no problem supporting this kind of science – new studies show that your glass of wine might be good for your waistline.
New research published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry suggests that chemicals in red wine actually block the growth of fat cells.
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Usually, when people talk about the benefit of red wine, it’s because of the compound resveratrol.
But this new study looks at piceatannol, the chemical compound our bodies convert from resveratrol, says lead researcher Kee-Hong Kim, Ph.D., an assistant professor of food science at Purdue University.
While much is known about the health benefits of resveratrol, piceatannol is more of a mystery.
In a series of lab tests, Dr. Kim discovered that piceatannol binds to the insulin receptors of fat cells, essentially blocking the pathways necessary for immature fat cells to mature and grow.
In other words, piceatannol actually prevented little, baby fat cells from becoming big, mature ones.
This is the first study to look at the role of piceatannol in controlling fat-cell growth.
More research is needed to see if the results make the leap from Petri dishes to people. In the meantime, there are plenty of other