A glass of red wine can benefit couch potatoes

London: Resveratrol, a magical ingredient in red wine that serves as a powerful antioxidant, may also provide benefits of exercise without moving a muscle, according to a new study.

“There is overwhelming data showing the human body needs physical activity, but for some of us, getting that activity isn’t easy,” said Gerald Weissmann, editor of the journal that published the latest research. “Resveratrol may not be a substitute for exercise, but it could slow deterioration until someone could get moving again,” he added. To study whether resveratrol has similar effects on the body to exercise, French researchers devised an experiment in which rats experienced the weightlessness more usually associated with astronauts in space, reports the Daily Mail. The ‘astronaut’ rats given a daily dose of resveratrol stayed in good health, the study found. But in those kept in weightless conditions and not given resveratrol, bones became brittle and muscles wasted and weakened. ANI