OK, so wine doesmaybedoesdoesnot affect health

ORLAND, FL -- After reading a plethora of studies over the past few years that claim that red wine, consumed in moderation on a daily basis, is good for our hearts, we now have a study that says, not so fast. It might, but then again not precisely the way we've been encouraged to think.

"Our findings do not support that potential cardiovascular benefits of red wine consumption result from blood pressure lowering by polyphenols" [a form of  antioxidant], says researcher Dr. Ilse Botden, a Ph.D student at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Instead, while not suggesting red wine isn't heart-healthy, the study says it just doesn't seem to work by lowering blood pressure. Botden says the benefit of red wine and heart health "apparently occurs in a blood pressure-independent manner."

Botden is presenting the findings today at the American Heart Association's High Blood Pressure Research 2011 Scientific Sessions being held here.

[Go to WebMD for a full report on the study.]

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