Wine offers more health benefits

SYDNEY - Agence France-Presse

A small daily intake of wine may help men live longer, studies suggest. EPA photo

The health properties of red wine have long been debated but an Australian biochemist believes he has created a drop so loaded with antioxidants that it could treat a range of ills.

Brisbane-based Greg Jardine said he has patented a group of compounds created during the wine-making process which he says act as an anti-inflammatory and could help battle conditions such as arthritis and chronic fatigue.

While previous studies have suggested a small daily intake of wine could help men live longer and may protect against heart disease, they have always been countered by those pointing out the dangers of alcohol consumption.

Jardine said loading up wine with antioxidants usually made it too tannic and undrinkable, but by also making the antioxidants more fat-soluble, and more easily absorbed by the body, they surprisingly also became more palatable.

His wine was created using normal wine-making processes, he said, but steps were taken to enhance some processes which ordinarily take place at a much less intense level.