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Health News for Senior Women - Dark Chocolate and Wine for Good Health?

Grapes contain polyphenols such as resveratrol, which is believed to help protect our hearts and ward off certain kinds of cancer. In addition, studies also show that resveratrol lowers the levels of the amyloid-beta peptides, which cause the telltale senile plaques of Alzheimer's disease.

While this isn't even approaching a cure for the disease, it's certainly a step in the right direction. According to Phillippe Marambaud, who works at the Litwin-Zucker Research Center for the Study of Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders in Manhasset, New York, resveratrol was introduced to cells that are responsible for the production of human amyloid-beta. Tests were then conducted on the compound's effectiveness by watching the levels of amyloid-beta inside and outside of the cells.

Early indications are that the treated cells had much lower levels of amyloid-beta than untreated cells. Researchers note that while levels of resveratrol may never reach the required levels in grapes to be as effective as in the lab, wine does contain more than 600 different components in addition to beneficial antioxidants. Current thinking is that several compounds found in wine may work together to slow down neurodegenerative diseases in humans.

Don't Lose Your Sweet Tooth

A study done last year at Yale University concluded that consuming dark chocolate can lead to short-term improvements in blood pressure as well as artery function. Again, like wine, dark chocolate is rich with antioxidants. Dr. David Katz, who is the Associate Professor of Public Health at Yale and Directory of the Research Prevention Center said, "the dark chocolate tested in this trial improved blood pressure and arterial function. Dark chocolate isn't just good - it's good for you".

The study was performed on 45 moderately overweight adults and found that after eating 74 grams of dark chocolate, subjects benefited from improvements in blood pressure and their blood vessels' ability to dilate. This led to increased blood flow, which is important to good cardiovascular health.

A word of warning. As with anything, moderation is the key. There's no rule that says that if drinking two glasses of wine a day is good, then a whole bottle must be great.

If you'd like to read up more on the benefits of wine and chocolate there's a great book that just hit the stores late last year. "Heal Your Heart with Wine and Chocolate...and 99 other ways women can protect their hearts" by health journalist Debora Yost can be found at most bookstores as well as Amazon.com.