The media-promoted claim, “Drinking a glass of red wine equals an hour at the gym,” has excited many readers. However, there are some details that many media fail to mention when they “inform” their readers of this phenomenon. One article described a study in which the hearts of rats were monitored (the left ventricle in particular) and they recorded data on the level of MDA. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The chemical that was the subject of the study (and the media claims it was) is called resveratrol, which is found in red wine. They found that the group receiving resveratrol had a reduction in MDA (which is linked to oxidative stress), indicating protection against cardiovascular disease. While this article discusses many of the benefits of resveratrol in red wine, it mentions that the amount of this chemical varies greatly from one type of wine to another, depending on its origin. (Ray, Maulik, Cordis, Bertelli, & Bertelli, 1999) Another article describes another study conducted once again on rats. This study was much larger than the previous one and aimed to observe the positive (or negative) effects that resveratrol could have had, and not just related to cardio. Their main conclusion was that it served as an anti-inflammatory and had very limited toxic side effects since it was a naturally produced chemical and already ingested by many people. (Birrell, McCluskie and Wong, 2005) A paper published by the same company as the previous one conducted a similar trial with mice. They found that resveratrol had the effect of suppressing the growth of endothelial cells and therefore the growth of tumors. However, this also means that it slows wound healing, which could be negative for some. It is also the only article to focus on the danger of consuming red wine in large quantities due to its alcohol content, regardless of its health benefits. (BRÅKENHIELM, CAO, & CAO, 2001) The last article I found was published with the man's work cited in many media outlets. In their study, resveratrol was investigated to observe the benefits on the cardiovascular system as well as its effects on calorie restriction. Their findings regarding all things cardio are consistent with other studies and are not unexpected. However, they find that resveratrol has qualities mimicking calorie restriction without the subject being disciplined to actually change their calorie intake. This is probably where the media claims they get the majority of content from. The article states that it is not clear whether this would translate the same way to human subjects, as it has only been done in animals. (Dyck, Jason RB; Dolinksy, Vernon W.;, 2011) The media claim boldly states that a glass of red wine is equivalent to an hour at the gym. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom article now from our expert writers.Get a custom essayHowever, none of the media articles provide scientific research that would let their readers know that it is not as simple and scalable as one might hope. Most don't even mention that the results were obtained from studies on mice or rats, not humans. And none of the articles mention consequences such as suppressed wound healing that the chemical can cause. Although the consequences may not affect much..