Is red wine health to drink
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Is Red Wine Healthy to Drink?

David J Sharp
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If you are a red wine drinker, you might be wondering and hoping if it is healthy to drink.

Well, in this article we’ll be talking about whether red wine is health to consume, and how exactly it affects the human body.

How healthy is red wine?

People often ask if red wine is healthy for their health.

The short answer is yes, but the long answer is, it certainly depends on your drinking habits and the timeframe.

Benefits of drinking red wine

Drinking red wine has been linked to lower risk of and possibly reduction in cardiovascular disease, stroke, and heart attack.

When you drink red wine, you build up your body’s defense and antioxidant properties, and ultimately protects against cancer. Moderate alcohol consumption also does have some potential health benefits.

While your body uses antioxidants to protect against oxidative stress, some research has also shown red wine also reduces oxidative stress in the body.

Red wine is higher in polyphenol, a type of flavonoid, recommended by the American Heart Association. It also helps prevent blood clots.

The greater the polyphenol, the higher the antioxidant quality of the beverage. Resveratrol, an antioxidant found in grape skin, has been shown to have protective effect on the cardiovascular system.

Moderate drinkers tend to have lower risk of heart disease than nondrinkers. Moderate drinking (11 ounces of wine annually) has been shown to help prevent heart disease by lowering blood pressure and accumulating fat within the blood vessels.

This ability of alcohol to lower blood pressure is important in preventing heart disease.

Red wine also has some benefits not described above. Research has shown that resveratrol is a flavonoid found in red grapes and that it can have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and healing effects. In addition, red wine may help lower blood sugar. This can help to control diabetes.

Studies have shown that a glass of wine daily may help to control diabetes. This is important because diabetes is a chronic disease of the pancreas and can lead to building up bad cholesterol.

We must note that you should always consult with your doctor before making adjustments to your health and diet, so that they can provide specialist knowledge, taking into account your previous and current medical history.

Additionally, resveratrol has also been linked to benefits such as lowering the risk of cancer, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and more.

Moderate consumption of wine, and any type of alcoholic beverage, should be acceptable for both men and women, according to the Mayo Clinic, unless a woman is pregnant, and then it is advised that all alcohol be removed from the diet.

Consequences of Excessive Consumption

The excessive and prolonged consumption of any alcohol (including wine) is associated with high blood pressure, lupus, type 2 diabetes, pancreatitis, breast cancer, alcohol abuse, and other health problems.

You can just have a look at the diagram below, which we’ve sourced from Healthline, which shows all of the effects that long-term alcohol abuse takes on the human body:

Alcohol Wine Effects

Conclusion

It’s clear that there are many benefits to drinking red wine, but these benefits are in some cases only speculative, and further studies need to happen in order to confirm the initial findings.

However, the studies are unanimous in showing that excessive consumption of any alcohol, including red wine, is incredibly damaging to the body.

Therefore, drinking red wine in moderation is the key, to not only enjoy yourself and not have that horrible hangover in the morning, but to maintain long-term health.

The optimal amount of wine to drink, according to Healthline, is 150 ml (1 glass) for women per day, and 300ml (2 glasses) for men per day.

We hope that you’ve found this article useful, and if you have any questions, please leaver them in the comments section below.

David J Sharp is a wine equipment expert, having previously worked with some of the best wine cooler manufacturers within the USA. Today he works as a full-time wine cooler and wine cellar consultant for small and large clients alike. You can find out more about LoveCraftWines here.

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