Italian scientists' red wine pill a sobering thought for drinkers

ITALY: For too long, the health benefits of wine have been offset by the drudgery involved in having to drink the stuff.

Not for much longer, however. If the latest development in labour saving lives up to its promise, scientists in Italy will soon be able to replace red wine with a pill.

The exciting news comes from the Pharma Biochemical Institute in Pavia, where researchers are freeze-drying and compacting the ingredients of wine - minus the alcohol that scientists and doctors have traditionally seen as the downside of drinking for health purposes.

Antioxidants in red wine help the human body by destroying free radicals, dangerous compounds that attack cells and cause diseases including cancer. Moderate drinking can reduce the risk of heart attack by at least 25 per cent, is thought to lower the risk of dementia, and even boosts sexual functioning.

The new pill will be thus welcomed by teetotallers, who stand to enjoy these benefits for the first time.

But the development could be a mixed blessing for wine-lovers, who may soon have a medically-approved excuse for drinking snatched from their lips.