WHY WINE IS GOOD FOR YOUR BRAIN

A GLASS and a half of wine a day couid help prevent neurodegenerative
diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Previous studies have highlighted the antioxidant properties of certain
chemicals in wine. Now Alberto Bertelli and his colleagues at the Human
Anatomy Institute at the University of Milan have found that resveratrol, a
chemical Droduced by vines to fight infection and found in grapes and wine,
increases the activity and effectiveness of an important neural enzyme by
up to sevenfold. The enzyme, known as Map-kinase, stimulates and
regenerates neural cells.

The researchers tested resveratrol on human neural cells in laboratory
cultures and found that it made them grow small extensions through which
they couid connect with neighbouring cells. This is a key finding since the
contacts between some neural cells are broken in both Alzheimer's and
Parkinson's. "By daily reinforcing these contacts, we can prevent
neurodegeneration," says Bertelli. The team presented its results at the
first International Congress on Health and Wine in Florence last month.

Jean-Marc Orgogozo, head of neurology at the University Hospital of
Bordeaux, published a paper last year which showed that people who drank
moderate amounts of wine daily were less likely to develop
neurodegenerative diseases (American Journal of Epidemiology, vol 148, p 298).