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Wine Health - Everything You Want to Know About Wine and Health
Wine has been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers and heart disease and slow the progression of Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's and various neurological and degenerative disorders. If you exceed a moderate consumption however, these health benefits do not apply; instead your health risks will go up.
What Does "Moderate Consumption" Mean?
Although wine has been found to have health benefits, there is a big difference between moderate consumption and heavy drinking. "Moderate consumption" varies from person to person and depends on gender, age, weight, body stature, genetics, whether you have recently eaten food, taken any drugs and a few other factors.
As a rule, women absorb alcohol faster than men do and this is because they have different stomach enzyme levels, as well as a lower body water content. Some doctors state that five ounces of wine per day (one standard glass) is a good guideline for women and ten ounces is a good guideline for men.
Antioxidants and Resveratrol
Moderate wine drinking can thin your blood and raise your good cholesterol levels. Resveratrol, flavonoids and other phytochemicals in wine function as antioxidants, preventing free radicals from damaging your cells. Resveratrol has been shown to prevent plaque formation in the arteries and blood clotting by altering plasma viscosity and lipid profiles.
Red wine contains more resveratrol than white wine because the longer the grape keeps its skin on during the winemaking, the more resveratrol will end up in the wine. Grape skins are removed before fermentation when white wine is being made. The best wines for supplying flavonoids are Petite Syrah, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. White wines and sweet wines are not as beneficial.
Also, wines made in cooler climates also have high levels of resveratrol, so for the best wine health benefits, choose red wine which has been produced somewhere cool.
A Glass of Wine with Dinner
When you drink wine at mealtimes, the wine reduces the proliferation of smooth muscle cells in the arteries, which leads to the development of atherosclerosis. This in turn often leads to strokes and heart attacks, so having a glass of wine with your dinner is not only pleasurable, it is also good for your health.
Drinking wine with food is believed to help the prevention of blood clots caused by fat. Women wine drinkers have fewer kidney stones than women abstainers, according to another study.
Wine is Not Suitable for Everybody
Despite the medical benefits to moderate wine consumption, this drink is not suitable for everyone. Some existing medical conditions are worsened by wine. If you have high triglycerides you should probably avoid all alcohol, including wine. High triglycerides are linked with health problems like diabetes.
Alcohol can raise estrogen levels, raising tumor progression in women suffering from breast cancer or with a high risk for this disease. Wine can also be a trigger for migraines in people who suffer from them.
If you do not like wine or cannot drink it on medical grounds, it is possible to get similar wine health benefits from grape juice and green tea.
