What are the health benefits of drinking red wine?

August 13, 2009

The initial research on the health benefits of drinking red wine is promising. Red wine has been shown to raise the HDL or good cholesterol as well as mitigate damage cause by high levels of LDL or bad cholesterol. Red wine also helps prevent the formation of clots, thereby protecting the heart and brain from potential heart attacks or strokes. Evidence for this conclusion comes in part from studies done in France, where diets are often higher in fat but the incidence of heart disease is lower than in other countries where high fat diets are common.

What’s the difference? Red wine. In France, red wine is consumed regularly with meals and that seems to be the key factor in the lowered rate of heart disease in that country. Red wine also contains antioxidants, one of which is resveratrol. In lab mice, resveratrol has been shown to protect the subjects from obesity and diabetes. Whether those benefits can be gained by humans drinking red wine is not yet proven.

Red wine contains more of these beneficial antioxidants than white wine because the grapes are fermented for a longer time, so if you wish to reap the potential rewards from ingesting resveratrol, stick with a nice red. What researchers do know is that in moderation, red wine does seem to provide people with heart healthy benefits.

For those who think that if one drink is good then five will be better, remember that over-consumption of alcohol can damage your heart and create the same types of problems – obesity, high cholesterol, heart disease – that red wine in moderation can prevent.