It’s a well-known fact that drinking too much is detrimental to your health. However, what about moderate drinking?
If you ask U.K. researchers about moderate drinking, the answer is a resounding yes as scientists across the pond have long suggested that moderate drinking may actually have beneficial effects on your health (namely your heart).
According to a new study by the Frontiers in Nutrition, moderate consumption of red wine may have positive effects on your brain as well.
In the study, researchers selected certain compounds that are present in the poop and urine of people who regularly drink a moderate amount of red wine—meaning the “leftovers” after your gut metabolizes, or breaks down, the wine.
The compounds were then added to human neurons or nerve cells in the brain. Surprisingly, researchers found that after subjecting them to the kinds of stressful conditions that would normally affect or kill brain cells—those treated with red-wine metabolites were actually protected. This finding proves that your gut plays a vital role in protecting the brain process, and while the exact red-wine compound that assists in protecting neuronal death is unknown—it’s still a huge step forward in science.
Further research will be conducted to understand more about how specific aspects of your diet can promote a healthy brain, drink up!
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