Is red wine really healthy for you?

Explores whether you should switch from your favourite tippleSince 1991, over a hundred scientific reports have been published, all claiming the same thing: that moderate wine consumption can be part of a healthy lifestyle.

In fact, strong evidence suggest that it may help protect against certain cancers and heart disease, and have a positive effect on cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

A number of the studies have been carried out in areas of France, where the diet is high in fat (predominantly from creamy cheeses and buttery desserts).

What researchers found was that those who drink red wine with their meals have a lower incidence of heart attack than other parts of the world.

This “French Paradox” is due to certain substances unique to wines, such as polyphenols, tannins and flavonoids, that act as antioxidants, undoing some of the “damage” that foods like cheese might have.

Polyphenols are compounds in grape skins (and are therefore present in red, but not white, wine) that decrease the production of a protein that causes blood vessels to constrict and reduces the flow of oxygen to the heart.

Furthermore, there are some 400 substances in red wine have been found to raise the levels of HDL, or “good” cholesterol, in the blood while decreasing LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, and thereby help prevent heart attacks and strokes.

HDL is known to lower the risk of heart disease* by clearing “bad” cholesterol from the artery walls and helping eliminate it from the body.

Red wine also contains resveratrol, a beneficial substance that is now also available as a supplement.

It first became popular when rodent studies showed that resveratrol could potentially have anti-aging properties.

It also appears to help fight cancer. According to one cancer research study, men who drink one glass a wine a day are likely to reduce their risk of the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer by 50 percent.

Aside from its antioxidant capabilities, resveratrol also contains anti-inflammatory properties, which in this case help to prevent certain enzymes from forming that trigger tumour development.

It also seems to cuts down cell reproduction, which helps reduce the number of cell divisions that could contribute to the progression of cancer cell growth.

So should you switch to red wine? Since other alcoholic drinks do not contain the beneficial compounds, I would say yes.

But do bear in mind that you would need to stop at one or two glasses to reap the benefits.

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