But let's look closer. What did the lead researcher of the Alberta team actually say? "I think resveratrol could help patient populations who want to exercise but are physically incapable. Resveratrol could mimic exercise for them or improve the benefits of the modest amount of exercise that they can do." And wait...what was that original study called? "Improvements in skeletal muscle strength and cardiac function induced by resveratrol during exercise training contribute to enhanced exercise performance...in rats." Oh.
A couple months later, the tides reversed. A team of researchers from Queen's University released a study that resveratrol may not actually enhance the effects of training. In fact, his exact words were, "Resveratrol supplementation doesn’t augment training but may impair the effect it has on the body." Even worse: Resveratrol may even "inhibit the body’s normal training response." The horror!
But again, let's look a little closer. What were the conditions of this experiment? Sixteen college-aged male participants who engaged in <3 hours of aerobic exercise per week at time of enrollment were asked to perform high intensity interval training 3 times per week for 4 weeks. During this time, participants were administered daily doses of either resveratrol or a placebo. The sample size is both small and not representative of the wider population, making it hard to draw statistically significant and meaningful conclusions from this data.
A Men's Health article released shortly after this flip-flop fiasco effectively summarizes the Montague-and-Capulet-esque situation (Source 4). Neither side is 100% right about wine as there is no black-and-white answer to what impact wine has on the body. However, one thing is clear: Nothing replaces the benefit of exercise and there is no shortcut to good health.
Love this. Reminds me of the craze that swept social media a few years ago about how tequila was so amazing for helping you lose weight: http://time.com/28587/study-sugars-found-in-tequila-could-help-you-lose-weight/
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day, it strikes me how much marketing influences us all about our consumption habits. One day, eggs are bad for you, the next day, fat and egg yolks are in! So much of the food "science" that we believe is rooted in poor, biased studies.
The especially powerful example from the wine industry to me, was how much red wine consumption went up in the US after the report was aired about red wine being so excellent for long-term health! At the end of the day, nothing beats being reasonably active, and eating a balanced diet. You could hardly count on red wine substituting for a few hours at the gym...
All this to say, while wine isn't the worst substance to consume in the world, alcohol isn't making anyone fitter anytime soon. But, enjoyed in moderation, I'd argue the benefits outweigh the downsides. :)
cheers!