A plant compound found in red wine has been shown to suppress inflammation and free radicals in humans. It’s a finding researchers say could have an impact on the fight against many chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, aging, heart disease and stroke.

Endocrinologists from the University of Buffalo gave a nutritional supplement containing 40 milligrams of resveratrol to a group of 10 participants, while another 10 subjects received an identical placebo pill. Participants took the pill once a day for six weeks and had blood samples taken throughout the study period.

Results showed that resveratrol suppressed the generation of free radicals, which are unstable molecules known to cause oxidative stress and release proinflammatory factors into the blood stream, resulting in damage to the blood vessel lining.

While researchers say the results are promising, they cannot eliminate the possibility that something in the extract other than resveratrol was responsible for the anti-inflammatory effects.

"The product we used has only 20 percent resveratrol, so it is possible that something else in the preparation is responsible for the positive effects," said the study’s lead author, Paresh Dandona, M.D., Ph.D.

Resveratrol comes from the skin and seeds of grapes and is also available in nutritional supplement form.