Resveratrol Might Someday Help Prevent Dangerous Falls Among Elderly

Experiments in mice have found that resveratrol, a natural antioxidant found in red wine and dark-skinned fruits, could someday be used to improve mobility and prevent life-threatening falls in older people. U.S. researchers acknowledged, however, that though the results are encouraging, resveratrol does have a major drawback: it is poorly absorbed by the body. That means a 150-pound person would have to drink almost 700 four-ounce glasses of red wine a day to absorb enough resveratrol to get any beneficial effects. The researchers are looking to develop a synthetic version that mimics the effects of resveratrol and might be more bioavailable.