Health Benefits of Wine
On Saturday, April 30 I attended another wine tasting, this time the main topic of the tasting was the Health Benefits of Wine. It was a very interesting tasting and I knew some of the information beforehand, but I did learn quite a bit. The start of Americans drinking wine for health benefits coincided with an episode of 60 Minutes on the health benefits of wine. This turned out to be one of the more popular episodes for 60 Minutes and resulted in the show airing 3 or 4 times. This also led to a boom in wine sales at local liquor stores (in Colorado Springs) and also led to the mega-liquor warehouse stores.
By drinking 10 times the American average wine intake per day, you can make a significant impact to your health. Sounds like a lot huh? Well it turns out that it is only 1 or 2 glasses per day (4 glasses per 750mL bottle), not at all hard to do. Too much wine everyday is detrimental to your health as liver damage and other effects start to take hold. If you start drinking more than 3 glasses a day and getting to the point of drunkenness, then you have gone too far.
Wine contains powerful antioxidants (antioxidants act as cell protectors). The most beneficial compounds are found mostly in red wine. Red wine contains powerful polyphenols (Polyphenols...have been associated with heart disease and cancer prevention) and 500 identified components (Red Wine polyphenols in cancer research). In a Harvard wine study they found that red wine helps with potassium intake and aids digestion.
It can greatly improve your health if you have your glass or two of wine with dinner. It will help your digestion and help you to relax and wind down after a hard day. We digest our food much better when eaten over a longer time, we usually rush through our meals too fast. If you take an hour or two for dinner with wine, you can see some big changes.
Francis Ford Coppola has his own winery (Niebaum-Coppola Estates), and believes greatly in the benefits of wine and in the benefits of providing wine at affordable prices to his customers.
Wine is also a stress reducer and regular drinkers of wine get sick less often. Another positive effect is thinning of the blood (reducing blood clots and stroke). Wine can also have a positive effect on bone density, helping those with osteoporosis and reducing its onset.
Red wine is the only type that has a positive benefit correct? No, white wine has benefits as well. Red wine offers all of the benefits listed here (and probably more) but white has benefits too, including anti-inflammatories. A study in Israel found a way to get more of the red wine benefits into white wine. In both red and especially white wine, the health benefits are going to be best if you drink a dry wine as opposed to a sweet wine (if you don't know the difference ask you wine store expert, I recommend Will of Powers Liquor Mart here in Colorado Springs, who by the way presented this material).
What causes headaches with wine? Well its not always the sulfites that cause the headache. It can be the histamines as well. Sulphur Dioxide is added to wines here in the United States and widely elsewhere also. Big heavy drinking reds can also cause headaches. The key is to find a wine that doesn't affect you.
How do you take advantage of the health benefits of wine? The key is to drink regularly, everyday is best, and in moderation, no more than 2 or 3 glasses per day. Raise a glass!
The following books are what Will used to put together the information in this presentation (most of the links I found and added on my own).
Sniffing the Cork: And Other Wine Myths Demystified
The Save Your Heart Wine Guide
French Paradox and beyond: Live Longer with Wine and the Mediterranean Lifestyle
To Your Health: Two Physicians Explore the Health Benefits of Wine
Buy some books to support this page and get more educated about wine and health.
By drinking 10 times the American average wine intake per day, you can make a significant impact to your health. Sounds like a lot huh? Well it turns out that it is only 1 or 2 glasses per day (4 glasses per 750mL bottle), not at all hard to do. Too much wine everyday is detrimental to your health as liver damage and other effects start to take hold. If you start drinking more than 3 glasses a day and getting to the point of drunkenness, then you have gone too far.
Wine contains powerful antioxidants (antioxidants act as cell protectors). The most beneficial compounds are found mostly in red wine. Red wine contains powerful polyphenols (Polyphenols...have been associated with heart disease and cancer prevention) and 500 identified components (Red Wine polyphenols in cancer research). In a Harvard wine study they found that red wine helps with potassium intake and aids digestion.
It can greatly improve your health if you have your glass or two of wine with dinner. It will help your digestion and help you to relax and wind down after a hard day. We digest our food much better when eaten over a longer time, we usually rush through our meals too fast. If you take an hour or two for dinner with wine, you can see some big changes.
Francis Ford Coppola has his own winery (Niebaum-Coppola Estates), and believes greatly in the benefits of wine and in the benefits of providing wine at affordable prices to his customers.
Wine is also a stress reducer and regular drinkers of wine get sick less often. Another positive effect is thinning of the blood (reducing blood clots and stroke). Wine can also have a positive effect on bone density, helping those with osteoporosis and reducing its onset.
Red wine is the only type that has a positive benefit correct? No, white wine has benefits as well. Red wine offers all of the benefits listed here (and probably more) but white has benefits too, including anti-inflammatories. A study in Israel found a way to get more of the red wine benefits into white wine. In both red and especially white wine, the health benefits are going to be best if you drink a dry wine as opposed to a sweet wine (if you don't know the difference ask you wine store expert, I recommend Will of Powers Liquor Mart here in Colorado Springs, who by the way presented this material).
What causes headaches with wine? Well its not always the sulfites that cause the headache. It can be the histamines as well. Sulphur Dioxide is added to wines here in the United States and widely elsewhere also. Big heavy drinking reds can also cause headaches. The key is to find a wine that doesn't affect you.
How do you take advantage of the health benefits of wine? The key is to drink regularly, everyday is best, and in moderation, no more than 2 or 3 glasses per day. Raise a glass!
The following books are what Will used to put together the information in this presentation (most of the links I found and added on my own).
Buy some books to support this page and get more educated about wine and health.
posted by Ryan M Scott | 1:25 PM
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