(NewsMax) - A component of red wine turns flabby white fat into fat-blasting brown fat, says a new study published in the International Journal of Obesity.

Researchers at Washington State University fed mice a high fat diet, but some of the mice also received resveratrol that amounted to 0.1 percent of their daily diet or the human equivalent of two or three servings of fruit. The rest of the mice served as controls. Those that received resveratrol changed their excess white fat into energy-burning brown or beige fat, and gained 40 percent less weight than control mice.

Resveratrol, a type of polyphenol, is an antioxidant that's found in fruits, and in high concentrations in red grapes.

The Washington State University study wasn't the first to connect the consumption of red wine with weight loss. A study published earlier this year in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry found that ellagic acid, a chemical found in dark-colored grapes, inhibits the growth of fat cells and keeps new ones from forming. Even drinking grape juice made from red grapes might also be beneficial.

Ellagic acid could also be helpful in reducing the accumulation of fat in the liver. Over a 10-week period, mice fed a high-fat diet developed fatty liver disease and other metabolic problems. But those who got ellagic acid extracts along with their fatty diets accumulated less fat in their livers and had lower blood sugar than those who didn't get the extract. Researchers discovered that ellagic acid triggers the same fat- and glucose-burning genes as commonly prescribed drugs that lower triglycerides and blood sugar.

Still another study — this one at Purdue University — found that piceatannol, a compound our bodies make from resveratrol, slows the creation of fat cells and keeps them from growing into mature fat cells.

Other studies have likewise shown red wine to be beneficial to your health:

Guards against gum disease. Spanish researchers found that grape seed extract and red wine slow the growth of bacteria that form biofilms in the mouth, which cover teeth, creating acid and forming plaque.

Cuts asthma risk. An eight-year Danish study of almost 40,000 people found that people who drink two or three glasses of wine a week are less likely to develop asthma than those who don't drink at all.

Protects hearing. Researchers at Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital divided rats into two groups, and gave one group resveratrol before exposing them to potentially deafening noises. Those given resveratrol were less likely to suffer hearing loss than those not given the supplement. Researchers believe resveratrol helps reduce hearing loss by reducing the inflammation caused when the tiny "hair" cells in the ear called cilia are injured by loud noises