Study: Compound in Red Wine Could Help Prevent Eye Disease

In the latest health win for red wine lovers, new research concludes that a compound in the beloved beverage could keep peepers healthy and prevent certain eye diseases.

Resveratrol, already linked to longevity and Alzheimer's prevention, also seems to prevent excessive blood vessel growth in the eyes. And while many of the purported health benefits of resveratrol are still murky, researchers were able to determine the precise mechanism by which the compound acts on the eyes.

"A great deal of research has identified resveratrol as an anti-aging compound, and given our interest in age-related eye disease, we wanted to find out whether there was a link," Dr. Rajendra S. Apte, a retina specialist at Washington University, said in a statement.

Apte and company tested resveratrol on mice and found that the compound reversed uncontrolled blood vessel development.

Once scientists determine how to harness the findings, resveratrol could be a key tool in staving off diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration, which is responsible for around 40 percent of blindness among the elderly.

And the benefits might not stop there. Out-of-control blood vessel formation is also the culprit behind some cancers and atherosclerosis.

"We have identified a novel pathway that could become a new target for therapies," Apte said. "And we believe the pathway may be involved both in age-related eye disease and in other diseases where angiogenesis plays a destructive role."

The news is good enough to make any oenophile want to pour a celebratory glass and offer a toast to modern medicine.

Still, there's much more research to be done: The mouse model isn't a perfect replica of human eyes, and the mice dosed with resveratrol received quantities equivalent to several bottles of wine.