- Wine and Your
Health
- By Stuart Glasure
During the 1990s, a physician
voiced on a national TV show that drinking red wine reduces heart
disease. It made all the headlines. He cited the relatively lower
levels of the disease in France despite their ever so famously
high fat diets. Since that program, it seems that red wine health
effects have been on the forefront of the wine consumer´s
mind.
Good for the Heart
Coronary artery disease is caused
by a build up of cholesterol in the arteries that supply the
blood to the heart. If the arteries get partially blocked the
heart cannot get enough oxygen and the result is pain. Does red
wine protect against heart disease?
Many studies suggested that moderate
amount of red wine (one to two glasses a day) lowers the risk
of heart attack for middle aged people by 30 to 50 percent. It
was also concluded that red wine may prevent additional heart
attacks if you have already suffered from one.
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The cholesterol that blocks these
arteries is called low density lipo-protein or referred to as
the bad cholesterol. This is cleared from the blood by high density
lipo-proteins or the good cholesterol. Moderate wine consumption
produces a better balance of these two. Additionally, wine has
an anti-coagulation effect which makes the blood less likely
to clot.
Red Wines
Chemical and food experts have
known for years that wine contains rich deposits of vitamins,
minerals, and natural sugars that are often beneficial to good
health. |
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Wine is also rich in potassium and
low in sodium. Red wines have more of these elements due to the
juices longer contact with the grape skins. Red wines are also
rich in Vitamin B which comes from the grape skins as well.
Wine and Digestion
Wine aids in the production and
flow of gastric juices. This facilitates digestion by breaking
down the food in the stomach quickly and effectively. For many,
after the age of 50 our bodies do not produce enough hydrochloric
acid that are needed for digestion. So many doctors, including
my own, have suggested a glass or two of wine with a meal. Who
am I to complain?
Wine also has a tranquil effect
on the body and helps people who have trouble sleeping. And it
does not stop there as it may help lower the risk of developing
dementia and Alzheimer´s disease.
Wine and Calories
As of now, there is no such thing
as a diet wine. Unfortunately, there is no getting away from
the fact that wine contains calories, and calories make you fat
if you do not burn them up. A glass of white or red wine contains
around 100 calories. Sweeter wines that contain residual sugar
as well as alcohol have more calories.
Final Thoughts
When you put everything together
you may decide that a little bit of wine does you some good.
Wine certainly has its place in a healthy lifestyle. That is
my conclusion, and I am sticking with it! |
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