Drinking to Your Health

Is "drink to your health" just an old adage? Apparently not, according to recent research. Find out about wine's various health-boosting properties.

Love wine? We do too. Don’t forget though, that too much of anything can be a bad thing. However, we’re here to let you know why you can enjoy a couple of glasses of your favorite wine without guilt. In fact, those glasses may even qualify as a healthy addition to you regular routine.

Research has recently provided support to the notion that wine has real health benefits. Much of this research came from trying to explain the French paradox. The French diet consists of regular red wine drinking and eating of foods high in saturated fats. Despite this diet, the French have very low rates of cardiovascular disease.

This research has led to the discovery of an antioxidant called resveratrol in the skin and seeds of grapes. Resveratrol is believed to help prevent damage to blood vessels, reduce cholesterol and prevent blood clots. It has also been shown to be beneficial in the production of nerve cells that could help in preventing and/or treating Alzheimer’s. It also has anti-inflammatory properties.

As if all of this wasn’t enough, resveratrol is also known as a phytoestrogen. This means it has similar properties to estrogen. This finding has researchers believing that including red wine in a diet or taking resveratrol supplements could help with conditions where estrogen is depleted, such as menopause, breast cancer or osteoporosis.

The bad news for white wine lovers is that the majority of the antioxidants, including resveratrol, is found in the skins of grapes. For this reason, it seems that most of the health benefits of wine are found in red wines, not whites. White wine is made from crushing the pulp of the grape, whereas the skin is crushed along with the pulp when making red wine. In light of which, white wine drinkers should perhaps begin testing their palate’s fondness of reds.

Remember, this research still needs to be considered further, and does not give us the green-light to begin binge drinking. A few glasses a week to one or two daily is all you need.


*all research in this article was found on WebMD or MayoClinic.com

Stephanie Brum Scanlon
		About the author:
		Stephanie Brum Scanlon is the "Brazillian Bombshell" Cincy Chic freelance writer based in Blue Ash.
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Last update: 23-07-2007 13:01

Published in : Magazine Items, Health