Red wine compound resveratrol may negate health benefits of exercise

(CBSNews) - Several studies have lauded the anti-aging effects of resveratrol, an antioxidant found in grape-based products like red wine. A new study, however, suggests the compound could have some drawbacks.

Recent research has shown that consuming a large quantity of resveratrol in supplement form -- about the equivalent of 700 bottles of red wine -- may improve balance in elderly mice. A September 2012 study in Circulation Research showed that drinking non-alcoholic, resveratrol-rich red wine for four weeks may lower blood pressure.

One 2011 study even referred to red wine as "exercise in a bottle," after reservatrol protected against muscle loss in sedentary rats.

• Resveratrol does provide anti-aging benefits, study shows
• Can you get resveratrol's anti-aging benefits by putting it on your skin?

However, a new study of older men suggests that reservatrol may block the health benefits gained from exercise.

"We were surprised to find that resveratrol supplementation in aged men blunts the positive effects of exercise training on cardiovascular health...in part because our results contradict findings in animal studies," lead researcher Ylva Hellsten, a professor with the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, said to the Free Press Journal.