Wine Academy: The health benefits of red wine

by SiMpLe ImPliCaTiOn

For all those passionate wine drinkers, there is nothing like a glass of tasty quality wine with a good dinner. The health benefits of red wine are well known among people, resulting from the fact that red wine protects against heart disease and stroke. Is this true? Maybe.

Many studies that investigated the benefits of red wine showed that red wine if consumed in moderate amounts (one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men) lowers the risk of heart attack for people in middle age by 30-50%. Other studies showed that similar benefits on the heart can be obtained by drinking beer and other alcoholic drinks, but unlike the wine they showed no results in reducing the risk of contracting several types of cancer.

Other studies showed that red wine prevents LDL cholesterol ( the bad cholesterol ) from forming, and raises the HDL cholesterol ( the good cholesterol ). It is also found that red wine may prevent blood cloths and reduce the blood vessel damage caused by fat deposits.

So what is it in the red wine that is good for heart?

Red wine is very rich source of antioxidants and flavonoids, particularly in polyphenol antioxidant called reservatol to which a number of good benefits of wine have been attributed. It is found in skin and seeds of grapes and other plants like peanuts, blueberries and some pines, but only in traces. Scientists claim that it is this compound that is responsible for significant difference in lowering cancer, and that it is contained only in red wine in required amounts.

So what is moderate drinking? Well, it does mean a glass of wine a day, but not every day constantly. In fact, too much wine can be as bad as any other alcohol, and having alcohol in bigger amounts can actually offset the good we get from wine and lead to other alcohol related diseases.

I always choose red wine when offered with alcohol, simply because of being aware of the benefits it has for health. It always wins. Why drinking something that is just empty calories, when knowing all those good properties of wine nature gave us.

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