cwine lovers can breathe a sigh of relief. Especially the red one, and of good and proven quality, could have really beneficial effects on cardiovascular health. According to the first clinical tests of theIRCSS Sacred Heart of Negrar with the University of Verona, wine could reduce ceramides, fatty acids present in high quantities in the blood of patients affected several times by ischemic events such as heart attacks.
Wine and its benefits on the heart: that’s why
The beneficial effects of wine, especially red, on the heart could depend not only on the presence of polyphenolsas is known, but also from his ability to counteract ceramidesparticular fats that favor the accumulation of bad cholesterol on the walls of the arteries, favoring the risk of atherosclerosis. The scientific study will allow to better understand the biological mechanisms underlying thecardioprotective effect of wine and could favor the development of a new therapeutic target.
The harmful effect of ceramides
The Doctorate in Biomolecular Medicine, chaired by Massimo Donadelli, full professor of Biochemistry of the University of Verona, involves Dr. Stefano Bonapace, cardiologist, Dr. Gianluigi Lunardi, clinical pharmacologist, and Dr. Antonio Conti, director of the Clinical Chemistry laboratory for the IRCCS Sacro Cuore di Negrar.
The ceramides they have been the subject of research by the “Sacro Cuore” and the University of Verona since 2018 thanks to the use by the Negrar Laboratory of very sophisticated biochemical analysis methods available in few centers in the world.
The studies published by the group in prestigious international journals such as Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology e Metabolism Clinical and Experimental have shown that the ceramides tend to increase the risk of coronary heart disease and recurrence of cardiac events such as infarction, even in subjects treated pharmacologically in an optimal way for the reduction of “bad” cholesterol.
What is the “dose” of wine not to exceed
«The benefits of mild to moderate consumption of wine (12 grams of alcohol per day for women and 25 grams for mencorresponding respectively to one or two 125 ml glasses) have been widely demonstrated, in particular the intake of Red wine has been related to a lower risk of coronary heart disease» explains Dr. Bonapace. “Epidemiological studies and meta-analyses have mainly attributed this finding to the large variety of polyphenolic compounds present in red winesuch as the resveratrol which inhibits the formation of inflammatory factors that cause cardiovascular disease.
Good and bad cholesterol
However, the biological mechanisms responsible for its cardioprotective effects are not fully understood. «To date, the potential beneficial effect of wine consumed in a slightly moderate way seems to be predominant linked to an increase in the blood of ‘good’ cholesterol called HDL and to one reduction of oxidation of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol – continues the cardiologist -. Moreover, there are no data on the possible effect of wine on ceramides, which appear to have a ‘facilitating’ role in the atherogenesis process by favoring the deposition of the “bad” LDL cholesterol in the artery wall with various mechanisms, thus causing progressive obstruction.
The study – concludes Bonapace – aims precisely to try to clarify through an experimentally controlled intake of a certain quantity of wine, if part of the beneficial effect of this popular drink on the cardiovascular system can also pass through the modification in the blood of these ceramides which, in perspective, could become a new ‘therapeutic target’».
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