Red Wine Protects Against Radiation
Yesterday a family member sent me an article from the UK's The Telegraph, entitled "Red wine 'can protect against radiation." Although this article originally ran in September 2008, after the nuclear plant explosions in Japan, I can certainly understand why it's making the rounds again today.
As workers at Nissan are testing cars sent overseas, and the U.S. is monitoring planes arriving from Japan for radiation, it's understandable that everyone is concerned about the issue. The good news? Apparently drinking red wine can help protect you.
The Telegraph article states that "...A team at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have discovered that resveratrol, the natural anti-oxidant found in red wine, can protect cells from the damage caused by radiation. ..."
They gave acetyl-altered resveratrol to mice before exposure to radiation and discovered that the rodents' cells were protected from radiation-related damage.
So, instead of stocking up on potassium iodide (which can be very harmful to some people and is sold out anyway due to global panic), just have an extra glass of red wine! That's a recommendation I can definitely get behind.
As workers at Nissan are testing cars sent overseas, and the U.S. is monitoring planes arriving from Japan for radiation, it's understandable that everyone is concerned about the issue. The good news? Apparently drinking red wine can help protect you.
The Telegraph article states that "...A team at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have discovered that resveratrol, the natural anti-oxidant found in red wine, can protect cells from the damage caused by radiation. ..."
They gave acetyl-altered resveratrol to mice before exposure to radiation and discovered that the rodents' cells were protected from radiation-related damage.
So, instead of stocking up on potassium iodide (which can be very harmful to some people and is sold out anyway due to global panic), just have an extra glass of red wine! That's a recommendation I can definitely get behind.
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