Drinking red wine may help burn fat, lower blood sugar: Study

Red wine or even the juice from red grapes could induce fat burning when consumed in moderation, according to a new study.

A new study out by researchers at Oregon State University found that when exposed to lab-grown human liver cells, the ellagic acid found in dark red Muscadine grapes shrunk existing fat cells and prevented new fat cells from growing.

Ellagic acid is an anti-oxidant also found in raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, walnuts, pecans, and pomegranates and has also been shown to slow tumor growth and kill cancer cells in cancer patients.

Neil Shay, a biochemist and molecular biologist at Oregon State University, performed this study on mice. And while Shay was the first to express this study isn't intended to be a miracle for weight-loss, his hopes were that the grape extracts would boost fat burning and in turn improve liver function.

Over a 10-week period, some mice were fed the grape extract equivalent to one and a half cups of grapes a day for a human. The researchers found that the mice who had been fed the grapes "accumulated less fat in their livers, and they had lower blood sugar, than those that consumed the high-fat diet alone."

According to researchers, the goal of the study was not to replace medications for weight related issues, but for guiding people in the selection of food available, which have health related benefits.

"If we could develop a dietary strategy for reducing the harmful accumulation of fat in the liver, using common foods like grapes that would be good news," says Neil Shay, PhD, a professor of food science technology at Oregon State University and the study's lead author.