A mild-to-moderate wine drinking has been linked with reduced cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and peripheral vascular risk
as well as reduced risk due to cancer. The reduced risk of cardiovascular disease associated with wine drinking is popularly
known as French Paradox. A large number of reports exist in the literature indicating that resveratrol present in wine is
primarily responsible for the cardioprotection associated with wine. Recently, resveratrol was shown to extend life span in
yeast through the activation of longevity gene SirT1, which is also responsible for the longevity mediated by calorie restriction.
This review summarizes the reports available on the functional and molecular biological aspects of resveratrol, wine and grapes
in potentiating the longevity genes.
Keywords Resveratrol - Red wine - Longevity - SirT1
This article belongs to a special issue on the 4th International Niigata Symposium on Diet and Health, November 29–30, 2008.