Drinking wine could protect your eyes,” The Daily Telegraph reported. It said that resveratrol, a substance found in red wine, could protect blood vessels in the eye being damaged by old age.
The story is based on a small study in mice, investigating whether resveratrol can inhibit the abnormal growth of blood vessels in the eye. Giving the substance to mice with damaged eyes appeared to inhibit the abnormal growth of blood vessels, a condition similar to macular degeneration in humans.
However, while this study is of scientific interest, there is very long way to go before we know if resveratrol can be used to treat human eye disease. This model of eye disease is different to that in humans, and clinical trials would have to test if this compound affects human blood vessels.
It is not advisable or practical to drink more red wine to increase resveratrol intake. These mice were given high doses of the substance, and the human equivalent would be more than would be found in several bottles of wine. If it were to be trialled in humans, it would probably be in a pill.
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