Alcohol has to be drunk in moderation but there're hidden virtues in a good glass of wine or a cup of beer, which may lead to the development of new products that are good for your health: for example, a study published in the journal Behavioral Brain Research suggests that beer may be good for the brain as it contains an antioxidant - xantoumolo - which administered in large amounts to mice improves cognitive performance.
Another study reveals that the wine grape nectar contains bacteria or probiotics that are good for your health as those found in yogurt and other dairy products. This work was conducted by Dolores González de Llano of the Autonomous University of Madrid and will be published in the Food Microbiology journal.
On the beer study - coordinated by Kathy Magnusson of Oregon State University - experts have isolated and tested on mice the antioxidant demonstrating the effects of cognitive functions enhancer.
In the spanish study experts discovered the presence in wine by as much as 11 strains of probiotics such as Lactobacillus, typical in yogurt, Oenococcus and Pediococcus. In laboratory experiments these probiotics were quite similar to those found in dairy products for resistance to gastric juices and beneficial properties for the intestinal walls.
In both studies the problem are the quantities: both the beer and antioxidant probiotics of wine are not in sufficient quantities to be effective with a moderate consumption of alcohol. Represent a good starting point for the development of new products, and non-pharmaceutical health benefits.
(via Ansa)
