Objectives: 

Moderate consumption of red wine has proven to have health benefits. In vitro studies of specific molecules from this drink show beneficial health effects, eg. on the cardiovascular system, cancer or immune system. However, it is important to note that the bioavailability of some molecules studied in vitro is very low and that the effective concentrations of moderate consumption of red wine could not achieve many of the properties described in vitro. Another aspect to highlight is "the French paradox," that is, populations who drink red wine tend to live longer than those who do not. However, so far no one has studied whether moderate wine consumption is able to activate longevity related genes. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether moderate consumption of red wine induces the expression of longevity-related genes.

Materials: 

The study included 9 women (35 to 65 years old) belonging to two religious communities of nuns of Valencia who do not consume red wine regularly and lead a relatively homogeneous life. Blood samples were collected at baseline and 15 days after a daily consumption of 2 cups of red wine (circa 200 mL.), one at lunch and one at dinner. Blood mononuclear cells were isolated for obtaining RNA, which was used to determine gene expression by a chip (Sequenom ®) designed with 16 genes related to longevity.

Results: 

The chip showed a significant increase in the expression of 4 longevity related-genes: catalase, Mn-SOD, sirtuins and p53 after the moderate consumption of red wine.

Conclusions: 

Moderate consumption of red wine increases RNAm levels of longevity-related genes.

This work was supported by grants SAF2010-19498, ISCIII2006-RED13-027, PROMETEO2010/074, 35NEURO GentxGent and EU Funded COSTB35 and CM1001. This study has been co-financed by FEDER funds from the European Union.