Girls, now you have a good reason to have a glass of wine every day, if the findings of a new study are to be believed.
According to the study conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, red wine can actually act as a cure for hormonal imbalance in women.
The researchers verified that a polyphenol called resveratrol, which is found in red wine, peanuts, blackberries and chocolate, was able to correct hormone levels in 30 patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a condition which can cause infertility in women of childbearing age and is a common problem among women these days.
The major signs that you can have PCOS include sudden weight gain, missed periods, acne and excess hair on the face and body. Diabetes and infertility can also occur in the most severe cases.
Based on the hormonal blood levels recorded at the beginning and the end of the study, the researchers noted a 23.1 per cent reduction in testosterone levels among women who took the resveratrol supplement for three months. Conversely, the patients who took a placebo saw their testosterone levels increase by 2.9 per cent.
Once these tests had been completed, the researchers realized that resveratrol also played a protective role against diabetes. Over the three-month trial, the women who took resveratrol became more responsive to insulin.
These findings suggest that resveratrol can improve the body's ability to use insulin and reduce the risk of developing diabetes.
The researchers say that a resveratrol supplement could help to lower the risk of metabolic problems experienced by women with PCOS.
This study was published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
(With agency inputs)
