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Is Red Wine good for your Health?

Is Red Wine good for your Health?
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It’s December – Time for weddings, Christmas celebrations and a big New Year party. Booze will be all around you. Which is your favorite one – is it the red wine?

The red wine reminds me of an incident that happened in a party few years back. While I was sitting and enjoying the music and my Queens Punch, one of my friends approached with a glass of red wine. When I refused to have it, he started talking about the health benefits of wine consumption. I was shocked to hear that. Alcohol and health benefits – is it really possible? So I thought to get into the detail study.

It is true and even the research reveals that red wine is good for your heart but the problem is that most of the people are unaware of the limits of consumption. This can be damaging for your health. So what are the limits?

What are the limits of red wine consumption?

limits of red wine consumption

No doubt, wine has alcohol and too much of it can be addictive. So how much wine you should drink so that its benefits are not converted into dangers. The wine benefits fall in place only if you are aware of the balanced amount which is not more than two drinks for men and one for women per day. More than this can lead to health problems. The other factors that need to be taken care of before setting the limits are age and the general health condition of a person.

So don’t take things on face value and keep yourself well informed about the pros and cons.

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Is red wine really beneficial?

People started worshiping red wine after the so-called “French Paradox.” What is French Paradox? The concept came into existence when the researchers revealed that despite the consumption of high amount of cholesterol and saturated fats, French people were healthier than other food-obsessed people. To find out the reason, the dietary habits of people of France were studied. The studies revealed that the consumption of red wine by them protected them from the damaging effects of saturated fats. Red wine contains elements like ‘quercetin’ and ‘resveratrol’, present in purple grapes from which it is prepared. These elements known as polyphenols, lowers cholesterol levels and maintains blood pressure. It also prevents cancer.

French Paradox red wine

Image Credits: myhearthealthy.biz

On the other hand, some recent studies show if saturated fats and cholesterol are consumed in reasonable amounts they don’t lead to heart problems. And the vital reason that French folks are healthy is due to the fact that they live a healthy lifestyle and consume more healthy foods.

So, does red wine really rule?

Possible health benefits of drinking red wine

Red wine is associated with many health benefits, most of which are accredited to its powerful antioxidants.

health benefits of drinking red wine

  1. Reduces the risk of depression – According to the researchers, people who drink around five glasses of red wine in a week are less likely to go into depression.
  2. A balanced consumption reduces the risk of bowel tumors.
  3. ‘Piceatannol’ present in the grapes from which wine is made, blocks the growth of fat cells in the body thus preventing weight gain.
  4. The damaged cells in the body which leads to various types of cancer are destroyed by ‘resveratrol’.
  5. The red wine contains anti-aging compounds which keeps the blood vessels healthy.
  6. The moderate amount of red wine consumption prevents dementia. ‘Resveratrol’ keep the blood vessels open thus maintain the proper supply of blood to brain.
  7. The wine contains flavonoids which prevents the skin from harmful UV rays.
  8. Anything that is rich in resveratrol protects vision. So does the red wine. It prevents the growth of blood vessels that cause blindness.
  9. Prevents many liver diseases.
  10. Prevents type 2 diabetes.

It is quite clear that if red wine is consumed in a proper quantity it can be good for your health. But at the same time there are certain negative aspects which you need to consider.

Negative aspects of Drinking too much

Too much consumption of alcohol can be devastating for your health.

Negative aspects of Drinking

Image Credits: vinepair.com

  1. Leads to alcoholism.
  2. Too much alcohol increases the risk of liver diseases.
  3. While moderate consumption reduces the risk of depression, heavy drinkers face the risk of going into depression.
  4. Hinder muscle healing.
  5. High amounts of alcohol can lead to premature death.

If you are a non-drinker

No one is recommending you to drink red wine. If you don’t drink, you don’t need to start it just to keep diseases at bay. Though it has many health benefits, but none of them is valuable enough to encourage alcohol consumption.

There are other sufficient ways to improve your health. You can look for supplements. ‘Quercetin’ is found in apples and many citrus fruits and ‘resveratrol’ is also found in peanuts, pistachios, grapes, blueberries and cranberries.

If you drink then stick to a limit! As long as you drink in limit, it will do you good.

So don’t feel guilty the next time when you order a bottle of Merlot or a Pinot Noir!

 


Comments (19)

  • I’ve heard different things regarding drinking wine. Unfortunately, every type of wine I’ve tried gives me a headache. I don’t know why? Is it too dry? I wish I could find a happy medium.

    Passing this along. Great info, Sonal! Happy Friday!

    • Author

      Hi Brenda
      Thanks for stopping by!

      I feel red wine is much better than the white one. And above all it has many health benefits also.

      Keep writing in.

      Have a wonderful day!

    • Brenda, you could have a problem with breaking down histamine. Red wine is high in it but you would likely find that other foods high in histamine would affect you too. Some people have a problem with tyramine which is found in wine or you could simply have an allergy to yeast or alcohol.

  • Awesome post Sonal! Though I am not a wine drinker (because it puts me to sleep!) it is good to know that there are some benefits of drinking wine 😉 Great share!

    • Author

      Hi Joan

      Even I don’t drink wine…..ya good for people who drink it. they can now talk about its benefits.

      Keep writing in.

      Have a nice day!

  • Hi Sonal,

    Really like the uncluttered design of your blog. Also like how you layout your blog posts. Very easy to read & understand.

    This post, about the possible health benefits of drinking red wine, is comprehensive, without falling into giving unnecessary details.

    As a ‘more-seasoned’ reader, I’d point out that the older we get, the less tolerant our body is to alcohol… even the small portion found in a glass of wine.

    On the other hand, your sensible precautions kinda covered that.
    Good post,
    Edward

    • Author

      Hi Edward

      First of all thanks for visiting my blog for the first time. Am glad that you liked the design and layout. I prefer to keep it simple and easy to read.

      I appreciate that you liked the post.

      You are absolutely right that with age the body’s tolerance for alcohol decreases. That is why I mentioned in the post that the age and health condition are the factors to be taken care of while deciding on the limits of drinking red wine.

      It was great to have your feedback.

      Keep writing in.

      Have a nice day!

  • Hi Sonal,
    Interesting and detailed information about wine. I’ve heard a few benefits but not to this extent. I don’t drink anymore but if I did, I would read this again before hand.

    • Author

      Hi Monna

      Thanks for visiting my blog. Great to see you here and have your feedback.

      Even I was surprised while writing that red wine had so many benefits. But still people who do not drink should not start.

      Keep writing in.

      Have a nice day!

  • Yeah its healthy but if taken in limits. As excess of everything is bad.
    Nice post! Thanks for sharing!

    • Author

      Hi Naman

      Good to see you. Its true that excess of everything is bad even if it has many benefits attributed to it.

      Keep writing in.

      Have a nice day!

  • Hi Sonal, Great post on the benefits of red wines. I have recently started drinking wine, as my son’s girl friend always brought some when she came for dinner. Now I know nothing about wine, perhaps I should check with Gary V about it. Your article had quest a lot about it and I will re -read it later. Thanks.

    • Author

      Hi Kathryn

      First of all thanks for visiting my blog. Am glad that you liked the post.

      Well now you can consume red wine the next time your son’s girl friend brings it and talk about its health benefits.

      Hoping to hear more from you in future.

      Have a nice day!

  • Great post! While I’m not a consistent wine drinker, I do prefer the red varieties.
    So ‘cheers’!

    • Author

      Hey Chanler

      Good to see you.Now you have some more reasons to like the red varieties.

      Keep writing in.

      Have a great day!

  • Great article Sonal. I gave up drinking alcohol years ago as it used to give me a migraine. I’ve since discovered that I have a slow diamine oxidase enzyme so I don’t break down histamine well. Red wine is higher in histamine than white but white can still be a problem. If histamine or other amines build up in the blood it can give you a lot of different symptoms including headache. Anti-histamines do not solve this problem but taking something like a Histame supplement, which contains the enzyme, can help to a degree. Red wine might be good for a lot of people but it’s not for me and more’s the pity!

    • Author

      Hi Sandy

      Your comment always give me something new to learn. thanks for sharing information about histamine.

      It is true that red wine is good for some people. For others it can create problems. That is the reason why I mentioned in my post that people who do not drink should not start drinking.

      Thanks for writing in.

      Have a nice day!

  • Hey Sonal,

    After reading all the benefits of red wine, I could be curious to test my discipline in the alcohol area once again. What a tease this red stuff has become. It helps keep a positive state of mind, works on the aging process and assist with bowel problems. It is like too good to pass up.

    I am not a big drinker, so one glass of anything, makes me eager to continue until the bottle is finished. Then possibly go in search of more. So I go from doing it for the right reasons and then it being bad for me. As soon as I got to the part where you talk about moderation, I decided that I best stick to my regular routine. However over Christmas when I take a couple of days of I may be tempted. Only for health reason and to test your research Sonal, I promise.

    What a great post. Thank you.

    Rachel.

    • Author

      Hi Rachel

      Thanks for writing in. Well alcohol is one area where we all want to test at some time or the other. I am not a usual drinker but have just tried ita few times. Now I can tell about the benefits of red wine to everyone.

      Its true that even if you drink, there should be a limit. One should always drink in moderation.

      I am with you – will give it a try on New Year!

      Have a great Christmas!

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