Does red wine really produce longevity?
When so much hope has been placed on the potential life prolonging effects of a substance in red wine called resveretrol, allegations that Dr. Dipak Das a University of Connecticut researcher had fabricated and falsified data in dozens of published papers is putting a damper on the work and upended plans for a December, 2012 international meeting. Das is one of eight international experts on the scientific committee for the conference titled Resveretrol 2012 set for Lucknow, India.
Many of the now discredited papers asserted that resveretrol improves cardiovascular health. The university is in the process of dismissing Das and has already returned $890 000 of the federal research funding awarded to Das.
What appears to be an increase in fraud in medical research makes this story another sad commentary for those who believe in the sanctity of the scientific method. And for those who have taken up a daily glass or two of red wine to achieve longevity, well the real data is still out.