Raise a glass to the 'red wine pill' to cure everything from obesity to cancer

In terms of medical achievements, this has got to be the big one – an all-in-one treatment that works against obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Astoundingly, a drug capable of doing just that could be available within three years. And it gets better. The new treatment could be a godsend for couch potatoes, allowing them to eat as much as they like without putting on a pound. They could even receive all the benefits of exercise without leaving the sofa.

The excitement surrounds a family of drugs based on resveratrol, the ‘miracle ingredient’ in red wine credited with inhibiting the development of cancer and heart disease. The drugs would activate a gene called SIRT1 that is key to longevity and energy, and their potency would give them the equivalent health benefits of 8,000 bottles of wine. Mice given one of the drugs, known as SRT1720, did not gain an ounce of weight despite being fed fatty foods, and blood tests suggested they were protected against diabetes. They also showed improved stamina. Now a follow-up study, led by the U.S. government’s health research arm, has confirmed the drug’s promise.

This time, giving it to ‘middle-aged’ mice allowed them to escape many of the dangers of a bad diet, with those eating fatty foods living almost as long as mice fed normally. At high doses, the drug extended the life of the junk food group by as much as 44 per cent. In addition, it stopped fat from clogging up their livers and, once again, appeared to protect against diabetes.

The journal Scientific Reports also states that the treated animals were more active. The drugs are being developed by Sirtris, a biotech firm bought by pharmaceutical powerhouse GlaxoSmithKline three years ago.

GSK is no longer pursuing SRT1720, but three similar – and potentially even better – drugs are already being tested on people. The first of these could be widely available within three years. Researcher Rafael de Cabo, of the National Institutes of Health in Baltimore, said the drugs offer the promise of a healthy old age.

‘To me, the most tantalising thing about the findings are the health benefits,’ he said. ‘I don’t care much about living five years longer as long as I live what I am supposed to live completely healthy.’It is not known who the drugs will be aimed at but, initially, they are likely to be reserved for treating and preventing disease in the severely overweight.

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Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is an autumn special event that transforms Epcot Theme Park into a food and wine lover's paradise with specialty food items, culinary events, sophisticated parties and live musical entertainment.

Try delicious regional foods, wines and beers from around the world at special marketplaces set up along World Showcase Promenade. Learn from renowned chefs and winemakers at special programs and demonstrations, and sample the finest cuisine from around the globe at spectacular culinary events. When you arrive at Epcot, visit the Festival Welcome Center to plan your day. Then you'll also find the Festival Wine Shop and the Wonders Bar¿where you can purchase champagne and wine or attend official book signings with celebrity chefs and authors. The Stockpot shop offers marvelous merchandise, including the collectable marketplace cookbook. Plus, there is more to do than just enjoying great food and beverage. Enjoy the Eat to the Beat concert series and unwind with a stellar lineup of celebrated musical acts.

In 2010, the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, presented by Vanity Fair, makes its grand return, transforming the theme park into a destination filled with the world's tastiest regional foods and drinks, rockin' concerts, and unforgettable sensory experiences. Guests will delight in tantalizing new additions ¿ from the robust and exotic flavors of Belgium & South Korea to world-class performers like Taylor Dayne, Billy Ocean and 38 Special... who will take the stage at the Festival for the very first time!

Epcot Theme Park admission is required. Some Epcot International Food & Wine Festival events require ticket fees in addition to admission to Epcot. Availability is limited for some events. Events may be rescheduled or cancelled at any time.

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Foster's rebuffs USD2.5 bn offer for wine

Foster's Group Ltd, Australia's largest brewer, has rejected a private equity offer worth up to $2.5 billion for its wine unit as too cheap and plans to continue with the split of its beer and wine businesses.

The bid for the world's second-largest wine business came as a surprise, boosting Foster's shares almost 6% to their highest since January 2008, on hopes it will attract better offers. Investors have been focusing on potential buyers for the more lucrative beer unit, which is seen as a cash cow with some of the highest profit margins in the brewing world.The ailing Treasury Wine Estates business, with vineyards from California's Napa Valley to the Hunter Valley near Sydney, had been seen as the unwanted child.

Sales of Foster's wine, including Beringer, Penfolds and Wolf Blass, have been hit by a deep US recession and a trend away from low-end, bulk wines in Australia. The strong Aussie dollar has also been a drag, slashing the value of US earnings.

"It seems like a nice little opening bid here, it is definitely going to speed up the process (of a sale)," said Arnhem Investment Management partner Theo Maas.

"But in terms of the value, it is lower than the book value. We are at the low point in the cycle and looking at very depressed earnings levels," he said, explaining the company's reluctance to accept the offer. The business is valued at A$3.1 billion on Foster's books, or about half the sum the company spent on wine acquisitions, following three huge writedowns.

Foster's has spent the last year overhauling the wine business, selling off unprofitable vineyards, changing U.S. distributors and focusing on higher-margin wines above $8 a bottle.

Analysts have valued the business at A$1.7 billion to A$3.5 billion.

Foster's shares spiked late last month after sources said brewing groups SABMiller and Asahi Breweries were looking at the company's beer operations, valued at more than $10 billion, but no firm bids have emerged.

FOCUSING ON COMPANY SPLIT

Foster's said the offer from the unnamed international private equity firm, worth A$2.3 billion-A$2.7 billion ($2.1 billion-$2.5 billion), was highly conditional and requested exclusivity, which it said reduced the value and certainty of the proposal.

"The Board considers the indicative proposed value range, referred to above, significantly undervalues Treasury Wine Estates and its future prospects," the company said. A deal for the wine unit would have been the largest buyout by a private equity firm in the Australian market since 2007.

The major international private equity firms with representation in Australia either declined to comment or did not return calls, including Blackstone, KR, Carlyle, TPG and CVC. Bain & Co in New York did not return calls seeking comment.

International private equity firms have shown renewed interest in cheap Australian assets this year, snapping up hospital owner Healthscope in July for A$2 billion. Foster's said it is continuing with its plans to split its beer and wine businesses in 2011 but left the door open to other offers.

"However, the Board will continue to consider any proposal that is in the best interests of shareholders," it said. Foster's spent over A$6 billion building its wine business, which ranks behind Constellation Brands Inc, with its acquisitions of California's Beringer Wine Estates in 2000 and Australia's Southcorp in 2006.

Earnings from the wine business rose 21 percent to A$221 million for the year to June 2010, but a massive A$1.29 billion writedown on the wine assets, the third for the unit, marred the group's bottom line.

Shares in Foster's were up 4.8% at A$6.36 at 0315 GMT, in a broader market down 0.6%. Foster's has hired Gresham Advisory Partners and Goldman Sachs to advise on the demerger.

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