喝红酒对身体有益！对吗？

Call it the French Paradox. For years, scientists have searched for an explanation of how the French diet -- a veritable high-fat smorgasbord of cheeses and sauces -- plays a role in -- France's remarkably low incidence of heart disease. The answer to the puzzle, many believed, was in the nation's penchant for drinking red wine.

这是一个著名的法国悖论：为何法国人的饮食习惯总是包含高脂奶酪与各种酱料的杂烩，他们患心脏病的概率还那么低?科学家们一直想为此找出合理的解释。很多人认为，关键之处在于法国人都喜欢喝红葡萄酒。

Several studies seemed to back up the idea. They found that those who drank red wine, ate dark chocolate and noshed on colorful berries had less of the inflammation that was part-and-parcel of heart disease. For example, study results published in Nature in 2006 reported that mice fed a diet rich in grape skins, berries and chocolate lived twice as long as those that didn't eat the compounds. The credit for these health benefits went to resveratrol, a common ingredient in all three items under study: wine, dark chocolate and berries.

好几项研究的结果似乎都支持此观点。他们发现那些常喝红葡萄酒、吃黑巧克力和五颜六色的浆果的人，患与心脏病相关炎症的机率更小。例如，2006发表在《自然》杂志上的研究报告说，吃富含葡萄皮、浆果和巧克力的食物的老鼠比不吃这些食物的老鼠寿命长一倍。而这些健康益处归功于白藜芦醇——研究项目中的三种食物即葡萄、黑巧、浆果都含有该物质。

Now, scientists aren't so sure a glass of red wine is as good for you as they once thought, and resveratrol may not deserve the glory after all. At least that's the finding of a nine-year study that followed 783 elderly people living in two small towns in Tuscany, Italy, an area well known for its red wine production As reported in JAMA Internal Medicine, the study tracked participants daily through detailed dietary information, and urine samples were used to measure their resveratrol levels. More than 250 of the participants died, as was expected because of their age. An additional 174 got heart disease and 34 developed cancer, but resveratrol levels did not play a role in any of the participants' outcomes. They were no higher or lower in those who lived versus those who died.

然而，现在科学家们却不能像之前那样对此打包票了。白藜芦醇似乎并没有想象中那么强大。至少下面的这个例子不能指出它有多大的功效。研究人员将地点选在了意大利托斯卡纳行政区下的两个小镇，因据美国医学协会杂志报导，此地以红酒产量而闻名。他们对783位老年人进行了长达9年的随访。研究者每天记录下他们详细的饮食信息，并测量他们尿液中的白藜芦醇含量。9年后，因岁数到了而过世的超过250人，正如他们所预期的那样;另有174人得了心脏病;还有34人身患癌症——白藜芦醇含高低量并没有对结果造成何种影响。在已逝之人与健在的人中，其含量也并无差异。

If resveratrol doesn't positively impact longevity, cancer rates or heart disease, does it do us any good at all? It's an important question, especially considering sales of resveratrol supplements have reached more than $30 million in the U.S. each year .

如果白藜芦醇对长寿没什么积极的促进作用，也不能降低癌症与心脏病的患病概率，那它是否有其他的好处呢?考虑到美国每年白藜芦醇补剂的销售额已经超过3000万美元，这个问题也不容小觑。

Drinking moderate amounts of red wine may still be good for you, just not in the way you might think. There are more than 35 other polyphenols in addition to resveratrol that require further investigation into their health benefits [source: Bland]. And drinking a bit of alcohol can help prevent bone loss in older women. A 2012 study published in the journal Menopausefound that women in their 50s and early 60s who drank one-and-one-half drinks each day can encourage the growth of new bone .

饮用适量红酒或许是对于你身体有益，但可能并不如我们想象中那般了。除了白藜芦醇外，红酒中还有超过35种多酚之于身体的好处需要我们深入研究。此外，喝点红酒有利于防止中老年妇女骨质流失。于2012年发表在《探索更年期》杂志上的研究说，50~60岁的女性每天喝1.5小杯酒能刺激骨的新生。

Our bodies are in the business of bone turnover, constantly dissolving bits of bone and then reforming them. As menopause begins, the dissolution of bone increases and the formation of new bone can't keep up, which leads to bone loss. For reasons scientists are still seeking to explain, a daily glass (or glass and a half) of wine slows down this turnover rate and can protect against bone breakage. Unfortunately, doubling the amount of wine doesn't increase the effect .

我们的身体实现了骨转换：不断地溶解骨头，然后进行改造。随着绝经期的开始，骨的溶解增加，新骨的形成无法跟上，就会导致骨丢失。虽然科学界还不能对每日饮酒1~1.5杯为女性所带来的好处做出合理解释，但能肯定地告诉你，超过此量益处也不会再多一点。