Home Lifestyles Food and Wine Is Wine Good For You?

Is Wine Good For You?

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Sept. 23, 2007 — In my opinion, the answer is undeniably “yes” — but with an important caveat: in moderation. Moderate consumption of red wine may well help you stay healthy.
There have been numerous studies on the health benefits of wine, especially red wine. Some of the components of red wine are being studied for their ability to fight certain types of cancer, suppress tumors, prevent heart disease, and lower high blood pressure, and cholesterol. Red wine is also associated with several other health benefits.
I’m sure many of my readers are familiar with the “French Paradox”. For those of you who are not, let me say that this confirmed theory shows that people, especially men, in France who eat fatty foods, such as foie gras (fattened goose or duck liver), duck, and other “bad” fats, and drink red wine with their meals have far fewer incidents of heart attacks than men in other parts of the world.
In a comparison of French and German red wines, French wines have been shown to be more effective, perhaps due to their higher levels of antioxidants. One possible benefit to women may be linked to reports on the potential for Resveratrol to inhibit estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells, but results have not been quite as compelling as men’s studies.
The principal component of red wine’s benefits is Resveratrol. This antioxidant has been linked to minimizing the DNA mutations that lead to cancer by killing cancer cells and blocking the formation of new blood vessels that tumors require to grow.
One study being followed concerns men because Resveratrol has been shown to suppress prostate cancer cells. Levels of PSA, prostate specific antigen, a blood test marker used to detect prostate cancer, were also suppressed in these same tests. These findings are still being investigated, but many researchers see Resveratrol as one of the most positive tools in the fight against many types of cancers.
Resveratrol is such an important player on the recent health scene that it is being extracted from grapes, put in pill form and sold in health food stores. It has become one of the hottest sellers in the industry.
There are other antioxidant components found in red wines: catechin, a flavonoid found in green tea and red wine. This antioxidant along with Resveratrol has been found to reduce the risk of heart disease. There is a component in red wine called saponins that is also found in soybeans and olive oil which has been shown to protect the heart.
Red and white wines have recently been found to prevent the proliferations of streptococci that are associated with sore throats, strep throat and tooth decay. (Interestingly, some of the tests were done with the alcohol removed so the effective components are inherent in the grape.) Small amounts of wine consumed on a daily basis may be an effective antimicrobial agent.
Now comes the question: What is moderate consumption? The recommended level of moderation in the U.S. is one glass for women, and two glasses for men per day. The levels are quite different in Europe where the definition of moderate are two to three glasses of red wine per day for women and three to four for men. I believe that each individual has to decide for themselves what they feel is “moderate.". One thing is sure: Over-consumption is not healthy.
Enjoy your French red wine!
I would love to hear back from my readers with comments or questions. Please email me at: [email protected] or check out our website.

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