Past studies have found that resveratrol, a polyphenolic
compound found abundantly in red wine and grapes, helps reduce
inflammation of the arteries. Now, a paper published in the July
issue of the American Journal of Pathology, finds the chemical
lowers blood-vessel growth in the eye, thereby reducing symptoms
associated with the leading causes of blindness. Researchers at
the ophthalmology department at Washington University in St.
Louis working with pharmacologists at R.W. Johnson medical
school in New Jersey found that resveratrol, when administered
in high doses, helps block the formation of new blood vessels,
called angiogenesis, in mouse retinas. Angiogenesis in healthy
patients is normally balanced, but when vessels grow out of
control, the result is symptomatic of several cancers as well as
age-related diseases such as diabetic blindness and macular
degeneration. "These disorders encompass the leading causes of
all blindness," states the study text, hypothesizing that
understanding how to prevent abn