Wine and Health:
Some Surprising Facts
The French Paradox
In 1992, a French scientist named Dr. Serge Renaud conducted a study that compared the diets of certain groups of people with their incidence of coronary heart disease. During the course of his study, he came across an unexpected result with some interesting implications for the relationship between wine and health.
French people, on average, consume much higher amounts of saturated fats, which is widely believed to be a leading factor in coronary heart disease incidence. The French eat a lot of butter, pork, cheese, and other rich foods, so common sense would suggest that they would have a relatively high rate of heart disease. However, Dr. Renaud's study showed that they actually had much lower rates of heart disease compared to other countries!
Dr. Renaud researched this further and traced this anomaly to another French dietary quirk: they drink wine regularly. Dr. Renaud's research found that regularly drinking moderate amounts of red wine could actually lower the risk of coronary heart disease! Another interesting fact: Moderate drinkers experience fewer cases of heart disease than both heavy drinkers and non-drinkers, so this does not mean that you should overindulge and drink lots of wine every day!
The Science
Red wine contains several kinds of polyphenols, including one called Resveratrol, which are known or believed to have health benefits, including cancer prevention and increased longevity. Some of these polyphenols are also known to decrease blood pressure and fight off some of the chemicals that cause cancer and diabetes.
Learn more about the benefits of resveratrol.
All wines contain sulfites, which are chemical compounds used for their antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. While a small percentage of the population is actually allergic to sulfites, they have no significant effect on most people. Some of the health benefits previously attributed to sulfites in wine and some foods have been disproven in recent years.
Alcoholic drinks in general are known to have some anti-inflammatory effects. One study compared the effects of both wine and gin and found that both led to reduced levels of a fibrous protein called fibrinogen, which can lead to blood clots.
In Short...
The health benefits of wine have long been suspected. In the last few decades, there have been some studies conducted to study the correlation between wine and health. However, more studies are needed to truly know the extent of wine's benefit to humans.
From the studies that have been done, there is strong evidence that regular consumption of moderate amounts of red wine leads to decreased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, some types of cancer, and other health problems. The health benefits of wine have still not been completely explored, and more scientific research and data will surely lead to more new information in the future.
Drinking large amounts of alcohol is detrimental to your health in many ways. Don't take this article the wrong way and start drinking a bottle of wine a day. Stick to a glass or two at dinner and your body will thank you for it!
Also, be sure to check out my
wine recipes
page for some great healthy recipes that use wine as an ingredient. Please leave your comments on this wine and health article below.
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