Red wine, and in particular, resveratrol, has been implicated in some studies to be an effective anti-viral agent.
Photo GrahamColm at en.wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], from Wikimedia CommonsA new study in the journal Food Control examined the effects of red wine and resveratrol on foodborne virus surrogates (i.e. non-human virus sources). Specifically, these surrogates were the mouse norovirus-1 and the cat calicivirus-F9.
Mouse and cat cells were exposed to either the mouse norovirus-1 or the cat calicivirus-F9, respectively.
Treatments for both mouse and cat cell exposed to the foodborne virus surrogates included: 1) red wine, 2) dealcoholized red wine, and 3) resveratrol from red wine.
After exposure to foodborne virus surrogates and treatment with either red wine, dealcoholized red wine, or resveratrol, percent toxicity/viability was measured and analyzed for all samples.
The US Federal Government has put out dietary recommendations based on scientific research for many decades. Even with these
Photo by Flickr user Jelly Mark (http://www.flickr.com/photos/fightobesity/4800531091)
supposed health recommended foods and beverages, the United States is experiencing an unprecedented obesity epidemic, in addition to the prevalence of many diet-related diseases.
A new study has compared these dietary guidelines with the actual food supply in the United States, to determine if availability (or the lack thereof) of healthy foods may be contributing to the diet-related health problems plaguing Americans.
The researchers from the US and Canada looked at the most current set of dietary recommendations (as of the time of this study) using the Healthy Eating Index – 2010 (HEI-2010) and compared them with 40 years of actual US food supply data from 1970 through 2010.
Food supply data sets came from: the Loss-Adjusted Food Availability Data set, the ERS Nutrient Availability Data set, data on salt consumption from the Salt Institute, and estimates per capita of alcohol consumption from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Muffins aren’t exactly on the list when you look up foods in the Mediterranean diet, but let’s face it, they are plentiful and they taste delicious.
Diet choices are for each individual (and their doctor) to decide, and
Photo by Veganbaking.net from USA (Vegan Apple Spice Muffins) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commonsthough there are certainly recommended food and drink items associated with the Mediterranean diet, most (if not all) of us still enjoy a rare treat every once in a while. For some of us, that treat is a muffin!
One recent study decided to take a look into making muffins a little healthier, and examined the effect of using grape by-products as ingredient when making a “model” muffin.
Why grape by-products? Grape by-products are the “leftovers” after grapes have been pressed for winemaking, and are known to contain health-benefitting compounds (i.e.: antioxidants, etc). The researchers processed these by-products into a fine powdered form, and added them to a model muffin mixture.
The finished muffins were then measured for CML (Ne-(carboxymethyl)lysine) content, a compound formed during the baking process, which is a potential toxin in food that can lead to diabetes, heart problems, Alzheimer’s, and premature aging.
Extracts made using red wine or grape skins have been studied often for their antimicrobial characteristics.
Photo By ProjectManhattan (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsRecently, more work has been done on the subject of red wine extracts and the preservation and protection of meats against both Salmonella and E. coli, two common bacterial contaminants observed in all different types of meats.
Basically, the results of a recent study adds more support to idea that red wine-based extracts may be beneficial for preserving and protecting meats for consumption.
![Photo GrahamColm at en.wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons](http://french-paradox.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Norovirus_4-french-paradox.jpg)
![Photo by Veganbaking.net from USA (Vegan Apple Spice Muffins) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://french-paradox.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Vegan_Apple_Spice_Muffins_french-paradox.jpg)
![Photo By ProjectManhattan (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://french-paradox.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Raw_chicken_french_paradox.jpg)