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godlylattice177
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Health Benefits of Red Wine
Many people consider red wine as a healthy drink, as it contains powerful polyphenols. However, more and more experts believe our lifestyle and the way we drink is more important than the kind of alcohol we consume.

In 1992, Dr Renaud noticed that people suffered less from cardiovascular disease in France than in Northern Europe, even though there was no difference in the amount of saturated fat in their diets. He called this the French paradox, and believed it was due to the Mediterranean diet, and especially to red wine.

At the same time, several studies showed that alcohol can be good for your health if you drink it in moderation (a maximum of 1 drink or 12.5g alcohol a day for women and 2 drinks or 25 g alcohol a day for men). It increases HDL (good cholesterol), is anti-inflammatory, and helps to prevent clot formation and to control glucose levels. In contrast, it increases your risk of high blood pressure, liver disease and various tumours, such as breast and colorectal cancer. The end result is a J-shaped relationship between alcohol and mortality, whereby moderate drinking increases your chances of a long life and heavy drinking reduces it.

Consequently, scientists have tried to find out if beer can be just as beneficial as wine, but studies contradict each other. August Di Castelnuovo and his colleagues have compared all the published results, and they concluded that moderate beer drinking is linked to better a cardiovascular health than abstaining from alcohol, but less so than wine.

Is red wine a healthier drink?

Red wine is one of the richest sources of polyphenols in the human diet. Polyphenols are powerful anti-oxidants which come from the skins, seeds and stems of grapes. They are typically present during the fermentation of red wine.

The strongest and best known is resveratrol. Studies on animals have shown that it reduces inflammation and LDL cholesterol (=bad cholesterol), prevents blood clots and protects blood vessels. It also delays the onset of diabetes and Alzheimer's disease and can stop the growth of cancer cells in the lab. In high concentrations however, resveratrol is toxic.

We do not have enough studies on people though, and we do not know if the amount in a glass of red wine is enough to have any effect. We need more research.

Maybe it is the lifestyle.

In general, research shows that wine drinkers have a healthier lifestyle than beer drinkers. They usually eat more fruit and vegetables, are more physically active and smoke less than the general population. It is therefore possible that their better health is not due to red wine, but to their lifestyle.

The increase in blood lipids and oxidative stress after a meal is a well known risk factor for atherosclerosis. This can be reduced by grape polyphenols. As moderate red wine drinkers typically have a drink with their meal, this could be an important factor.

The way we drink

Binge drinking is defined in the US as having more than four (for women) or five (for men) alcoholic drinks in a row. It increases atherosclerosis, raises blood pressure and puts you at a higher risk of thrombosis and heart rhythm disturbances. It can therefore lead to cardiovascular disease, sudden cardiac death and stroke.

Binge drinking is dangerous for your health even if the overall amount of alcohol is not higher than what a regular consumer would drink in a week.

Moderate wine drinkers are less likely to become heavy or excessive drinkers. Their better health could therefore simply be due to the fact that they binge drink less, or even not at all.

What does this mean for me?

It is not sure that red wine is so much better than beer or liquors. As yet, the message seems to be that the effects are more due to the quantity and the way we drink than to what we drink.

There is no reason to start drinking alcohol to prevent cardiovascular disease, as it can be addictive, and worsen or cause other problems.

However, if you like to have alcohol, there is no reason to stop doing so as long as you drink in moderation.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his or her health should contact a doctor for advice.

References:

Klatsky AL, Armstrong MA, Kipp H. Correlates of alcoholic beverage preference: traits of persons who choose wine, liquor or beer. Br J Addict 1990 Oct; 85(10): 1279-89

Jensen MK, Andersen AT, Sorensen TI et al. Alcoholic beverage preference and risk of becoming a heavy drinker. Epidemiology 2002 Mar; 13(2): 127-32

Natella F, Belelli F, Gentili V, et al: Grape seed proanthocyanidins prevent plasma postprandial oxidative stress in humans. J Agric Food Chem 2002 Dec (1 cool ; 50(26): 7720-5

Renaud S, de Lorgeril M, Wine, alcohol, platelets, and the French paradox for coronary heart disease Lancet 1992 Jun 20; 339(880 cool : 1523-6

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