(NaturalNews) There's new hope for a natural way to prevent two of the most dreaded conditions that most often hit elders - hearing loss and Alzheimer's disease. According to a new study just published online ahead of print in the journal Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, resveratrol, a substance found in red grapes and red wine; known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, may offer protection against hearing and cognitive decline.

"Our latest study focuses on resveratrol and its effect on bioinflammation, the body's response to injury and something that is believed to be the cause of many health problems including Alzheimer's disease, cancer, aging and hearing loss," the study's lead author Michael D. Seidman, director of the Division of Otologic/Neurotologic Surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital, said in a media statement. "Resveratrol is a very powerful chemical that seems to protect against the body's inflammatory process as it relates to aging, cognition and hearing."