jueves, 8 de marzo de 2012

lunes, 27 de febrero de 2012

Hablando de Borges...

SONETO DEL VINO

¿En qué reino, en qué siglo, bajo qué silenciosa
conjunción de los astros, en qué secreto día
que el mármol no ha salvado, surgió la valerosa
y singular idea de inventar la alegría?

Con otoños de oro la inventaron. El vino
fluye rojo a lo largo de las generaciones
como el río del tiempo y en el arduo camino
nos prodiga su música, su fuego y sus leones.

En la noche del júbilo o en la jornada adversa
exalta la alegría o mitiga el espanto
y el ditirambo nuevo que este día le canto

otrora lo cantaron el árabe y el persa.
Vino, enséñame el arte de ver mi propia historia
como si ésta ya fuera ceniza en la memoria.

Jorge Luis Borges

sábado, 25 de febrero de 2012

Más evidencias del American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, 2011

Antioxidant Effects

The antioxidant effects associated with moderate wine drinking may be one of the factors responsible for the French Paradox. A high fat diet is known to cause high levels of oxidative damage to plasma lipoproteins, which is counteracted by antioxidants present in wine. Oxidative stress is also associated with chronic diseases, including atherosclerosis, heart failure, cancer, and neurological degeneration, and is believed to accelerate the aging process. Red wine has been shown to protect against each of these conditions by increasing plasma antioxidant capacity, suppressing reactive oxygen species generation, increasing serum oxygen radical absorbance capacity, and decreasing oxidative DNA damage. The oxidation of LDL cholesterol is strongly associated with cardiovascular disease. It has been demonstrated that wine flavonoids protect against LDL oxidation (Aviram and Fuhrman 2002,Ursini and Sevanian 2002). Wine procyanidins have been shown to be especially active in preventing lipid oxidation of foods while in the digestive tract, indicating that red wine consumption with a meal affords the most protection (Ursini and Sevanian 2002).

sábado, 4 de febrero de 2012

Wine and health

Wine and Health: A Review

Jacquelyn M. Guilford1 and
John M. Pezzuto1,*

+Author Affiliations

¹University of Hawaii at Hilo, College of Pharmacy, 34 Rainbow Drive, Hilo, HI 96720

↵* Corresponding author (email: pezzuto@hawaii.edu; fax: 808 933-2981)

Abstract

As indicated by epidemiological studies, regular and moderate wine consumption, particularly red wine, has been associated with health benefits. Clinical studies and work performed with animal models indicate that wine may protect against cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, hypertension, certain types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, neurological disorders, and metabolic syndrome. The mechanism of action has been attributed to antioxidant, lipid regulating, and anti-inflammatory effects. A variety of wine constituents have been studied in various disease models. Both the alcoholic and polyphenolic components of wine are believed to contribute to these beneficial effects. As wine is a complex mixture, it is likely that a multitude of chemical constituents, as well as their metabolites, work synergistically to impact human health. In sum, although wine drinking may be contraindicated in certain individuals, in healthy people, regular consumption of moderate amounts of wine may protect against certain chronic health conditions.