By Lenny Bernstein, Washington Post

Red wine gets all the good press for the cardiovascular benefits of the flavonoids it contains, but U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers are reporting that one white wine grape has the reds beat when it comes to slowing weight gain and lowering cholesterol, at least in laboratory animals.

The researchers put hamsters on a high-fat diet supplemented by flour made from the seeds of grapes used for Chardonnay, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon wines. They found that the white grapes easily beat the reds in slowing the hamsters’ weight gain and limiting production of cholesterol.

They believe the higher levels of flavonoids in the Chardonnay grape seeds altered the work of genes related to fat metabolism.

Read the whole story