Have You Ever Wondered If Red Wine Is Really Good For You?

These days, it is more likely that people are more concerned about the foods they consume. But, a new trend seems to be that people are beginning to watch what they drink as well. Alcohol is the usual suspect for a lot of long-term health related illnesses and diseases, but is this bad reputation actually deserved?? A number of people will ask, 'Is red wine good for you?'. Wine enthusiasts will tell you that it is good for you, using the famous "French Paradox" as evidence for the argument. There is ample evidence and research that will conclude that, despite having alcohol in it, there are plenty of health benefits in red wine, such as lowering blood pressure, lowering the risk of heart disease, reducing cancer, and extending people's lives for years. By reading this article, you can decide if red wine holds any health-related benefits for you, so read on.
To begin with, red wine is NOT the cure for all aliments, and people should not be thinking that it is. If you are going to discuss any health-related benefits, you must ensure that you limit your daily intake to no more than two glasses per day. By sticking to this limit, you can be assured of gaining some of the health benefits. The first benefit is the ability to lower the levels of low density lipoproteins, usually referred to as LDL or 'bad cholesterol', in your body. This is because a good glass of red has a number of antioxidants called flavonoids. In addition to this, it also has the added benefit of raising levels of high density lipoproteins, HDL or "good cholesterol", which adds to lowering the risk of heart-disease overall.
So how does this benefit your health? If the levels of LDL in your body are lowered, the result of this is a significant reduction in the number of fatty deposits in the bloodstream. If you can do this, your risk for a heart attack is also lowered considerably, and all from drinking a glass or two of red wine.
At this point, you might wonder if red wine is only good for cardiovascular reasons. Actually, the health benefits of a glass or two of a good red extend beyond lowering the risk of heart disease. In red wine, you'll find large amounts of a substance called resveratrol, with the result of fermenting the grapes with the skin on. Research has shown that resveratrol has been linked to a reduction in the growth rate of cancerous tumours. Cancers, such as prostate and breast cancers might be prevented if people change their diet to include red wine in it. But it gets even better, as resveratrol might even have properties affecting the rate of nerve cell formation. If this is proven, including red wine in your diet may form part of the treatment for neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease.
With all this research and promising results, some sceptical people might wonder if there is any evidence of this working outside of the lab. Believe it or not, there is ample evidence of this outside of the lab! Even though the link between saturated fats and heart disease is well known, people who adopt a "Mediterranean Diet" (which is quite high in saturated fats) appear to have a lower rate of heart disease. A higher rate of red wine consumption appears to be the main difference, but this might be the key factor. As stated before, research suggest that the antioxidants in wines, particularly red varieties, serve to protect the lining of blood vessels in the body. Therefore, you can extend your life by lowering your chances of heart disease (and even some forms of cancer), and all from drinking moderate amounts of red wine!
These days, the health benefits that come with drinking a glass or two of red are not only well known, but are supported by a large section of the medical field. The link between a reduction in heart disease and some sorts of cancer to drinking moderate amounts of red wine is now firmly established. So the next time someone asks, 'Is red wine good for you?', you can safely answer with a resounding, "YES!".So why not drink to your good health right now with a glass or two of a nice red wine!!


Doug has been writing articles online for over 3 years now. Although he specializes in financial topics such as commodities and equities, you can check out his latest website, TheWineSpot.org, which gives all the latest news, reviews and helpful articles about all topics wine-related, such as how to find the perfect wine rack, and all other wine-related accessories