Red wine appears to protect the heart and prolong life. Now a new study suggests it may also be a weapon against obesity.

Resveratrol, a compound present in grapes and red wine, appears to inhibit the development of fat cells and have other anti-obesity properties, according to a report from researchers at the University of Ulm in Germany. The findings, to be presented this week at The Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco, show that in laboratory experiments with so-called “pre-fat cells,'’ resveratrol prevented them from converting into mature fat cells. Resveratrol also hindered fat storage in the cells.

The compound also reduced production of certain cytokines, substances that may be linked to the development of obesity-related disorders like diabetes and clogged coronary arteries. Resveratrol also stimulated the formation of a protein called adiponectin. The substance, known to decrease risk of heart attack, is diminished by obesity.

“Resveratrol has anti-obesity properties by exerting its effects directly on the fat cells,” said the study’s lead author, Pamela Fischer-Posovszky, a pediatric endocrinology research fellow in the university’s diabetes and obesity unit. “Thus, resveratrol might help to prevent development of obesity or might be suited to treating obesity.”

Whether to add red wine to your daily diet must be balanced against other health risks. For people with alcohol dependency problems, the health benefits of red wine are far offset by the risks of drinking to excess. Excessive use of alcohol can lead to addiction, traffic accidents and potentially fatal medical problems.

Increasingly, studies support the idea that drinking a small amount of alcohol each day — no more than one to two servings — is better for you than not drinking, but the findings don’t apply to everyone. Even small amounts can increase risk for certain health worries, like breast and colon cancer. Although those risks are generally offset by the extra heart benefits, some people may decide it is not worth it.

红酒似乎可以保护心脏并延年益寿。现在一项新的研究表明，红酒还可能是对付肥胖的武器。

白藜醇是一种在葡萄和红酒中富含的化合物，根据德国乌尔姆大学研究报告称，它似乎可以抑制脂肪细胞的发展，同时有其它抗肥胖的功效。该发现将于本周在三蕃市举行的内分泌学会年会上发表，它表明实验室有关所谓的“前脂肪细胞”实验中白藜醇可防止这种细胞变成成熟的脂肪细胞。白藜醇同时还阻碍了细胞中的脂肪堆积。

该化合物还降低某种细胞因子的产生，这是一种可能与肥胖相关的紊乱的形成有关，比如糖尿病和冠状动脉堵塞。白藜醇还可刺激一种叫做低脂联素的蛋白质的形成。这种物质据称可以降低患心脏病的风险，由于肥胖而减少。

“白藜醇通过对脂肪细胞产生影响而具抗肥胖作用”，研究第一作者，大学的糖尿病和肥胖单位的小儿科内分泌研究员Pamela Fischer-Posovszky说。“因此，白藜醇可能助于防止肥胖形成或者可用来治疗肥胖症。”

是否在日常饮食中加入红酒必须综合考虑其它健康风险因素。对于酒精依赖病人来说，红酒的保健作用可以会因过量饮用的危险而抵消。过量饮酒可导致上瘾，交通事故和潜在的致命性医疗问题。

研究日益支持这一观点，即每天饮少量酒，不多于一到两杯，比不饮酒更好。但这种发现并不适用于所有人。即使少量酒也可以增加某些方面的健康担忧，比如胸腺癌和结肠癌。尽管这些危险常常被额外的有益心脏的好处所抵消，有些人可能还是觉得不值得。