Antioxidants found in red wine could treat heart disease
Cardiovascular disease causes one in four deaths in the UK every year
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The antioxidants found in red wine could be used to treat people with heart disease, a professor has claimed.
Cardiovascular disease affects around seven million people in the UK, causing over a quarter of deaths every year according to the British Heart Foundation.
Cardiovascular disease refers to coronary heart disease, angina, heart attacks, congenital disease and strokes, all of which can be managed with treatment.
Tammy Dugas, a professor from the Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, believes she may have found a way to use the antioxidants found in red wine to help people who are suffering from heart disease.
This isn’t the only recent instance of scientists lauding the benefits of alcohol.
A new study written by the University of Rochester Medical Centre states that drinking small amounts of alcohol can boost the brain’s ability to remove waste, thus providing it with an efficient clean.
Contrarily, Dugas isn’t advising that people drink more red wine in order to treat heart disease, but rather that incorporating the antioxidants found in red wine into a coronary angioplasty procedure could prove beneficial for heart disease sufferers.
A coronary angioplasty is a procedure in which blocked or narrowed coronary arteries are widened.
Surgeons do this by inserting and inflating a small balloon into the artery, which frequently involves inserting a stent into the blood vessel.
Dr Dugas noted that commercial stents can often cause the artery to narrow again afterwards, which is why she’s working on a new type of stent that doesn’t prove harmful in the long run.
The advantages of the antioxidants in red wine have been noted previously. However, Dr Dugas has discovered a new way to utilise them.
Dr Dugas is currently in the process of developing a new stent that releases two antioxidant compounds that are found in red wine into the blood: resveratrol and quercetin.
Doing so will promote healing, prevent further blood clotting and reduce inflammation.
“By delivering red wine antioxidants during conventional angioplasty, it may be possible to prevent excess tissue from building up and the blood vessel from narrowing again as it heals,” Dr Dugas explained.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments