Drinking Wine Before Bed Could Help You Lose Weight, Says Science

File this under too good to be true: Two recent studies suggest that drinking wine could help encourage weight loss—especially if you drink it before bed. According to The Drinks Business, Washington State University scientists found that resveratrol, a polyphenol found in red wine, can help transform stubborn white fat into burnable brown fat. A separate study at Harvard found a link between wine and weight loss. Researchers examined 20,000 women over 13 years and saw that those who drank two glasses of wine daily were 70% less likely to be overweight.

Why is it best to drink nocturnally? A study conducted in 2012, which observed the effects of resveratrol on bees, found that the compound helps curb appetite. It could be that wine simply discourages late-night snacking.

Before you run out to stock up on bedtime wine, we should add that professor Min Du, the author of the Washington State University study, does note that wine isn’t the most efficient way that good-for-you reservatrol. “Many of the beneficial polyphenols are insoluble and get filtered out during the wine production process,” he says. Instead, he suggests eating blueberries, strawberries or grapes, all of which are rich in the compound.