WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., April 12 (UPI) -- Red wine, believed to protect the body from heart disease and cancer, may also help the body lose weight, U.S. researchers suggest.
Dr. Kee-Hong Kim of Purdue University in Indiana said the substance piceatannol -- a metabolite of resveratrol -- delayed the generation of young fat cells and prevented them from growing into mature fat cells, the Daily Telegraph reported.
The study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry found piceatannol blocked insulin's ability to activate genes that carry out further stages of fat cell formation.
"In the presence of piceatannol you can see delay or complete inhibition of young fat cells," said Kim, the study's lead researcher.
The substance is also found in grapes, blueberries and passion fruit.
