You drink it with an exotic dinner. You covet it after a long day. When you gather for a celebration, it always finds its way to the table. Yes, we’re talking about wine. Wine is a symbol of happiness. It relaxes your mind and brings smiles to faces. Beyond the mental satisfaction, did you know that drinking alcohol can be good for your physical health when it comes to moderate consumption?
More than just being heart-healthy, wine has a slew of surprising health benefits mainly because of the substance resveratrol. Resveratrol is the wonder ingredient responsible for the benefits found in wine. Plants prepare resveratrol to fight off fungi and bacteria, and its sources are purple or red grapes, blueberries, mulberries, cranberries, peanuts and pistachios. Most studies focus on the benefits of red wine because white grapes do not contain resveratrol.
Wine seems to have endless health benefits. New studies have found several health benefits of drinking moderate amounts of red or white wine. From decreased mortality rates to attacking cancer cells, a glass of wine at the end of the day can go a long way when it comes to beneficial effect.
What Amount of Wine is Good for You?
How much wine is good for you? It is hard to gauge what the right amount is. The daily recommended serving of wine is four to five ounces. A proper glass of wine is a 5-ounce pour. Visually, the wine pour should stop when it reaches the widest part of the glass, called the bell. When we say “moderate drinking”, this refers to the amount that is clinically considered to be healthy. Since metabolic enzymes that break down alcohol are more plentiful in men, a healthy moderate consumption could range from five to ten ounces a day. For women, the healthiest serving remains at four to five ounces daily.
Pour yourself a glass and take a look at the ten ways wine benefits your health.
- Wine contains antioxidants
- Wine Boosts the Immune System
- Wine Increases Your Bone Density
- Wine Reduces the Risks of Stroke
- Wine Reduces the Risk of Heart Disease
- Wine Can Lower Cholesterol
- Wine Reduces the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
- Wine Reduces the Risk of Cancer
- Wine Improves Cognitive Function
- Wine Promotes Longevity
Antioxidants are crucial in our body’s ability to identify and manage cell-damaging free radicals. But with red wine, the antioxidant’s free-radical fighting capabilities are taken to the next level.
Wine could be your answer to fighting off free radicals that cause severe health problems like cancer. When choosing your wine for antioxidants, opt for white wine. A study done by University of Barcelona scientists discovered that the phenols in white wine had an equal amount of antioxidants as compared to in red wine. This finding is interesting because wine drinkers commonly believe red wine provides the most health benefits in moderate amounts.
A glass of wine can give your immune system a boost and improve its response to vaccination, but you should not stop taking your vitamins. Moderate consumption of wine can keep your immune system in check and fight any infections. Medical science has shown that people who drink wine in moderate amounts have reduced risks of premature death. On average they are more healthier and have better cardiovascular function compared to the other group.
With age, our bones get more brittle. To increase your calcium intake, drink a glass of milk every day otherwise sip on a relaxing glass of wine. The high levels of silicon present in red wine are great for your bone mineral density. Bone mineral density is the concentration of minerals, like calcium, in bones, which is the measure of your bone strength. The risk for developing osteoporosis goes up once BMD goes down. Hence wine increases the density and reduces the chance of osteoporosis. Studies have also found that resveratrol present in red grapes is a viable treatment option for osteoporosis.
Alcohol increases levels of “good” cholesterol, so moderate consumption of alcohol is good as it prevents blood clotting. Drinking alcohol decreased the bundling of clotting cells in the blood, which leads to blood vessel blockages in the heart. Wine acts as a natural blood thinner, reducing blood clots in the arteries that could lead to a stroke. The phenol present in red wine acts as a blood thinner like aspirin. Light to moderate consumption of wine may be useful in preventing a stroke, but heavy drinkers are more likely to have strokes.
A study done by John Hopkins University Medical Center found that resveratrol found in red grape skins could protect against stroke when the grapes were turned into wine.
Wine phenols could be useful in preventing cardiovascular disease. The tannins is a naturally occurring polyphenol found in red wine; these phenols neutralize free radicals. So the lesson is, if you want a healthy heart, drink a glass of wine.
According to a study by researchers at the Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa tested the effects of red wine on the health of blood vessels. What they found after 21 consecutive days of consumption was that blood vessel cell health was enhanced, improving the flow of blood. This increases the health of the heart, lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The procyanidins in red wine are said to promote a healthy heart while lowering cholesterol levels. Resveratrol in red wine which comes from the skin of grapes decreases LDL (bad cholesterol) while increasing HDL ( good cholesterol). It is also true that red wine benefits blood pressure, so if you’re suffering from high blood pressure, drink a glass of wine frequently. If you’re having trouble keeping your good cholesterol high, sip on a daily glass of red wine.
Studies have shown that if you are at risk for type 2 diabetes, wine may help. Resveratrol in the grape skin has been proven to improve sensitivity to insulin. Initiating moderate wine consumption among type 2 diabetics is safe and decreases cardio-metabolic risk. There is also evidence to show that red wine might provide benefits to people with type 2 diabetes.
In the battle against cancer, a glass of wine can help you out. Drinking a glass of wine reduces the risk of prostate cancer, colon cancer, and breast cancer. Antioxidants fight free radicals that allow cancer to thrive. The substance resveratrol present in red wine is beneficial for all heart diseases as it fights against cancerous cells.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School found that: “Men who drink an average of four to seven glasses of red wine per week are only 52 percent as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer as those who do not drink red wine. In addition, red wine appears particularly protective against advanced or aggressive cancers.”
Drinking a single glass has shown incredible benefits of improving brain function. Studies reveal that drinking wine activates your brain more than any other human behavior, like listening to music or watching sports. Red wine has chemicals that prevent the brain’s neurons from dying off. The wine slows the onset of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. To gear up your brain, drink a glass of wine.
When you hear about longevity and healthy living – it is the Mediterranean diet which comes up. At the core of the Mediterranean diet, beyond olive oil and vegetables, is wine. Research has shown that resveratrol which acts as anti-aging agent activates a protein in our body.
