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Oenology

Red wine procyanidins and vascular health

Nature 444, 566 (30 November 2006) | Download Citation

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Abstract

Regular, moderate consumption of red wine is linked to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease and to lower overall mortality1, but the relative contribution of wine's alcohol and polyphenol components to these effects is unclear2. Here we identify procyanidins as the principal vasoactive polyphenols in red wine and show that they are present at higher concentrations in wines from areas of southwestern France and Sardinia, where traditional production methods ensure that these compounds are efficiently extracted during vinification. These regions also happen to be associated with increased longevity in the population.

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Author information

Affiliations

  1. *William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, London EC1M 6BQ, UK

    • R. Corder
    • , N. Q. Khan
    • , E. G. Wood
    • , M. J. Carrier
    •  & A. Crozier

  2. †Plant Products and Human Nutrition Group, Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK

    • W. Mullen
    •  & S. C. Marks

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Competing interests

Roger Corder has received funding for research and to attend symposia from Catena Wines, Argentina, and Canandaigua Wine Company, New York, US. He is also author of The Wine Diet, scheduled for publication in January 2007 by Little, Brown Book Group.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to R. Corder.

Supplementary information

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    Suppplementary Information

    Identification of the main vasoactive components in red wine

PDF files

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    Vascular health, longevity and procyanidin-rich red wines

    Higher levels of vasoactive polyphenols found in red wines from areas of greater longevity

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DOI

https://doi.org/10.1038/444566a

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