Resveratrol: Fat Buster?

In a study by Martin Wabitsch, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of Ulm in Germany, evidence was presented that furthers the belief that resveratrol may act as a catalyst to reduce the body's production of fat cells. This latest study was performed on human cells in a laboratory test and showed how resveratrol inhibits the number of nascent fat cells that grow into mature fat cells. If fats and carbohydrates from food cannot be transformed into fat cells, they are typically broken down and burned as energy instead. If these lab tests are an accurate indication of the actual process that takes place in the human body, it would limit the addition of fatty tissue. You know, that little (or big) spare tire you carry around your waist that you can't get rid of? This research advances evidence that explains the notion of the "French Paradox". Although the French diet tends to be high in fatty food, the overall population has a much lower obesity rate than other developed countries. Many have hypothesized that high French consumption of red wine is offsetting the high fat content. Only in the last few years has resveratrol been identified as the actual molecule in red wine that makes this happen.

For more detailed coverage of this study refer to these articles in Science News and CBS News.