Red Wine Benefits

“Drinking red wine may have heart health benefits” is good news for wine drinkers.  Hold on…lets take a closer look.

There are research studies supporting the benefits of red wine consumption in moderation.
These are the potential benefits:

• May reduce heart attack risk by as much as 30-50% for middle age population.
• May raise the good cholesterol HDL and prevent the bad cholesterol LDL from forming.

The alcohol and certain substances in red wine may prevent blood clots and plaques formation in arteries. This in turn can reduce
Inflammation and lower blood vessel damage caused by fat deposits.

What’s in the red wine that may be heart healthy? Antioxidants substances such as:

• Falconoids. Can be found in: oranges, grape juice, apples, onions, tea and cocoa.
• Nonflavonoids. Showed promising results in prevention arteries from becoming clogged with fatty blockages. But results are from mice instead human studies.

Resveratrol found in grape skin and seeds are the nonflavonoids in the news for heart benefits.  Most funding for research studies are for commercial applications in developing resveratrol supplements.

Yes, people from the Mediterranean region who regularly drank red wine seem to have lower risks of heart disease.  Your doctor won’t tell you to start drinking red wine if you are a non-drinker, or increase your intake of red wine just for the possible heart health benefits. American Heart Association and other health organizations do not encourage drinking alcohol beverages for health benefits. Results from research studies for red wine benefits are mixed.  It’s not for sure that alcohol other than from red wine such as beer or spirits, in moderation may also have similar benefits.

So – If you drink wine or other alcohol drinks, drink in moderation.
AHA recommends one to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. (A drink is one 12 oz. beer, 4 oz. of wine, 1.5 oz. of 80-proof spirits, or 1 oz. of 100-proof spirits.)

If you don’t drink: load up when you can with red and purple grapes, grape juice, peanuts, blueberries and cranberries. Fruits and vegetables of all types have variety of antioxidants substances as well as vitamins and minerals that are beneficial to good health.

Don’t forget healthy eating habits, good weight control and regular physical activities contribute much more to your heart and overall health.

If you have any food/nutrition questions do post them in the comment section.

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Tagged as: benefits of red wine, heart health benefits, red wine benefits, red wine health benefits, resveratrol supplements