A natural substance found in grapes, pomegranates and red wine could slow ageing and keep your heart healthy, new research suggests.

Ever wondered how the French get away with a clean bill of heart health despite a diet loaded with saturated fats? The answer, a group of international scientists say, may be found in red wine.

Alcohol Information: Is Wine Really Good For You?

Low doses of resveratrol, a substance found in red wine, slows the ageing process and may confer special protection on the heart, according to new research in the journal Public Library of Science One.

Specifically, the researchers found that low doses of resveratrol mimic the effects of what is known as caloric restriction - diets with 20-30 percent fewer calories than a typical diet - that in numerous studies has been shown to extend lifespan and blunt the effects of ageing.

The Health Benefits of Wine

Previous research has shown that resveratrol extends lifespan and prevents early death among mice, even those given a high-fat diet.

The new study extends those findings, showing that drinking moderate amounts of red wine during middle age can offer many of the same benefits as a reduced-calorie diet.

In short, drinking a glass of wine could be an active way to prevent your heart from ageing.

That finding may also explain the remarkable heart health of people who live in some regions of France where diets are soaked in saturated fats but the incidence of heart disease, a major cause of mortality in other countries like the UK and the United States, is low. In France, meals are traditionally complemented with a glass of red wine.

The new findings provide strong evidence that drinking wine in moderation can improve quality of life.

To find out how drinking alcohol in moderation can be healthy, how much alcohol it is safe to drink, and what the benefits of drinking alcohol are, including how alcohol prevents heart disease, the benefits of alcohol for improving cholesterol and alcohol’s health antioxidants, Click Here.