Great News! Drinking Red Wine has the Same Benefits as Working Out for an Hour (or does it?)
Facebook headlines are popping up about a study showing that drinking red wine produces the same benefits as working out for an hour.
After the 4th or 5th person has asked me about this study over the last few months I’ve decided to create a regular feature on my blog: Debunk the Junk!
Clearly, there is a great desire for this headline be true. I did a quick Google search and out of only five different blog posts or online magazines that have re-hashed this article there were 5 million shares on Facebook!
The study that has been, for lack of a better word – corrupted by the media, was published in the Journal of Physiology in 2012. This is the title:
Improvements in skeletal muscle strength and cardiac function induced by resveratrol during exercise training contribute to enhanced exercise performance in rats
It doesn’t really have the same appeal, does it? I want to be clear that I am not saying that the study itself is junk – it appears in an respected peer-reviewed journal and follows good scientific principles. The Junk is the blogs and other publications that have twisted the information touting incorrect and misleading results.
Let’s break it down!
1. The study is looking at Resveratrol, a compound that is founded red wine that does have some very fantastic benefits related to exercise performance. The rats (not people) were given 4 grams of resveratrol per kilogram of the food that they ate, which is approximately 146 mg per kg of body weight.
2. People eat about 3 to 5 pounds of food per day, (1.3 – 2.6 kg)
3. The dosage of resveratrol for a person that eats 4 pounds of food each day would be 7.24 grams
4. Based on body weight, someone weighing 150 pounds (68 kg) would need 9.9 grams per day.
5. Depending on the varietal red wine contains 0.06 – 1.86 MILLIGRAMS per 150 mL (or 5 ounce) serving.
6. Using the highest number (Spanish red wine) 1.86 milligrams, and the goal dosage of 7.24 grams that equates to…..
3,892 (5 oz) glasses of wine PER DAY!
Darn it! Obviously, you’re not going to drink that much wine per day, It would kill you! However, that does not negate the fact that resveratrol can be helpful in exercise, but it needs to be done through supplementation. Here are a few examples:
Garden of Life RAW Resveratrol, 60 Capsules
1000 MG Resveratrol Extreme Juice Capsules
Am I suggesting that you MUST take a resveratrol supplement? No. It is up to you, it is safe to take and you may find it is beneficial.
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I am, however, suggesting that if you’re going to enjoy a glass of red wine – simply enjoy it and don’t think that you can skip going to the gym!
Cheers!
You may have some friends that bought into the myth…please consider helping them by sharing with the blue button.
Detailed calculations if you like math:
3. 4 pounds of food = 1.8 kg, 4 grams x 1.8 kg = 7.2 kg
4. 150 pounds = 68 kg, 146mg x 68kg = 9,928mg = 9.9 grams
6. 1.86 mg = .00186 grams; 7.24 grams = 7240 mg; 7240/1.86mg per glass = 3,892 servings