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Health News Archive 211 - Flu
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Resveratrol Reduces Flu Mortality by 60%

An Italian study found red wine is not only heart healthy, but may help fight flu as well.  Scientists from Italy's Higher Health Institute, Rome University and the National Research Council discovered that resveratrol a compound in red wine that stops the flu virus from mutating.

The finding is important because resveratrol may be potentially used to prevent the avian flu virus from mutating, which experts fear might lead to a new strain that causes a pandemic, researchers noted.

The study, published in May 2005 in the Journal of Infectious Disease, was performed on cell cultures and animals. Results showed the flu mortality rate in mice was reduced by 60 percent.

"This discovery is very important because it increases the possibility of combating the virus and has proved effective against all different types of flu," the investigators said.  "That resveratrol acts by inhibiting a cellular, rather than a viral, function suggests that it could be a particularly valuable anti-influenza drug."

Red wine is well known for its heart-healthy benefits. Drinking red wine has been repeatedly linked with lower risk of diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, as well as cholesterol-related cardiovascular conditions although the benefits may not come from red wine per se.

Source: Palamara AT, Nencioni L, Aquilano K, et al. Inhibition of influenza a virus replication by resveratrol. J Infect Dis. 2005 May;191:1719-1729.

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