Milk Acts Like Red Wine in Avoiding Obesity

A team of Swiss scientists claim to have found a substance in milk which acts like red wine in protecting the body from obesity despite a diet high in fat.

In a study that aimed to look for alternative ways to target a specific gene, SIRT1, known for boosting metabolism and longevity, researchers from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne identified a substance in milk that behaved similarly to one of the health-boosting ingredients in red wine, resveratrol.

Published in the journal Cell Metabolism, researchers found that lab mice fed a high-fat diet as well as high doses of nicotinamide riboside -- a naturally occurring substance in milk -- burned more fat and were protected from obesity.

Researchers also noted that the mice became better runners, developing higher endurance and stronger muscles.

But before you down a gallon of milk along with your burger and fries, researchers caution that the substance would likely behave differently in humans when consumed as just a glass or two alone. The more probable likelihood is that the compound would serve as a metabolism booster in the form of supplements, they said.

Meanwhile, earlier this year researchers from Purdue University identified another substance in red wine called piceatannol which they said acts as a fat blaster by thwarting fat cells from maturing and growing.

[AFP]