In this day and age, we¡¯re more aware about mental illnesses like depression and anxiety, than our parents or grandparents were.?These are pertinent issues of our generation and more people are beginning to talk about them, than ever before. In the recent times, there¡¯s been a lot of research on finding a treatment for depression and anxiety. However, this new research related to red wine might be a path-breaking?one.
Red wine has, in the past, also be proven to be healthy for humans if consumed in moderation and this is because of a powerful compound it contains called resveratrol.
The study is published in the journal Neuropharmacology and observes that the resveratrol present in red wine can block the enzyme which is to be blamed for causing depression as well as anxiety.
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The result of the study is powerful because while there are a lot of medications to treat depression and anxiety, they mostly regulate serotonin or noradrenaline function in the brain while the compound found in red wine directly attacks the enzyme that causes our mental health to suffer.
Dr Xiaoxing Yin from the Xuzhou Medical University in China who was involved in the study said:
"Resveratrol may be an effective alternative to drugs for treating patients suffering from depression and anxiety disorders."
The study was carried out on mice who were given super doses of the compound and the results showed that signs of anxiety and depression reduced in them.
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However, there's a problem with giving super doses to humans. Each mouse who was a part of the study was given the equivalent of up to 10mg of resveratrol for each kilogram of its body weight. According to the Oregon State University, an average glass of red wine contains 2mg of resveratrol. For humans, that will be very little amount in each glass and they would have to drink a whole lot of wine which would ultimately prove to be unhealthy.
Hopefully, with more research and studies, scientists will come up with a viable solution.