Benefits of Red Wine

Benefits of Red Wine

Drinking wine with dinner is a tradition followed in many parts of the world. Not so in India. Far from it, in fact! If an Indian drinks a glass of wine every night, we would be tempted to think of him as an alcoholic at the most, and as a person with a loose character at the least. We frown upon the drinking of alcohol, deeming it to be against our culture. However, before you condemn the consumption of alcohol as an evil, read on.

Heart Ailments

Red wine promotes heart health. In fact, consumption of one or two drinks of red wine a day reduces the risk of heart ailments by 30 to 40 percent. Alcohol protects the heart mainly because it acts on blood platelets to prevent clotting. It also prevents the arteries from getting blocked.

Cancer

Researchers have found that a chemical in red wine helps to fight not only heart disease, but cancer as well. The chemical, Res, is originally found in the red grapes that are used to make red wine. Res is also found in mulberries and raspberries, amongst other fruits and nuts. Laboratory experiments have shown that Res promotes the death of cancer cells. The polyphenol compounds in grapes also serve as an antioxidant.

In order to help the body absorb the wine more quickly and easily into your system, it makes sense to exercise before taking a glass of wine. This speeds up circulation.

Mortality Rate

The lowest mortality rates are amongst those who regularly consume one or two drinks a day. According to studies, teetotalers have higher rates of mortality, while the mortality rate rises rapidly amongst those who drink three or more drinks a day.

Breast Cancer

Certain studies do have conflicting data, and on the flip side, these studies have shown that the risk of women contracting breast cancer increases slightly amongst those who consume moderate quantities of alcohol, which is around one glass of wine a day, but similarly, teetotalers also suffered from an increased risk of contracting breast cancer. Occasional drinkers (those who consume around 3-4 drinks a week) had the lowest risk of contracting breast cancer.

Amount of Consumption

So if drinking one glass of red wine a day could increase your risk of contracting breast cancer but reduce your risk of getting a heart attack, what should you do? Well, your risk of contracting breast cancer increases by around 5%, while your risk of getting a heart attack reduces by 30 to 40%. Consider the French diet. Processed food, beef, breads, cheese, pissaladière or the French version of pizza, soufflés, chocolates - and all on a daily basis. Essentially, their diet is high in saturated fat, but their hearts are far healthier than the average Indian or American. However, the French do suffer from liver related problems. So the key question is once again, how much is too much?

For most people, having one drink a day is strongly associated with an upto 50% reduction in risk of developing coronary heart diseases. Wine is thus now being increasingly viewed as a health drink worldwide. Thus, if you want to drink wine for health purposes, make sure you drink just one glass. This is important, especially if you want to have a glass everyday. Two could lead to three, which could lead to four, and which is far too much. If you would rather drink whiskey, then one glass a day should be the limit, while two glasses a day should be your wine limit. In order to help the body absorb the wine more quickly and easily into your system, it makes sense to exercise before taking a glass of wine.

If you have a family history of alcoholism, high triglycerides or high blood pressure, you would be better off not drinking, or drinking occasionally. Also, if you are pregnant, you should abstain from drinking as alcohol is harmful for the baby.

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