Recent studies show that moderate red wine consumption has a variety of health benefits, according to "Woman's Day" magazine. The cardiovascular benefits of drinking red wine have been well represented in the media, but not everyone realizes that wine drinking has additional health benefits.
Heart Health
In a 2002 study published in "Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association," Michel de Lorgeril, MD, the study's lead researcher at the Cardiovascular Stress and Associated Pathology Laboratory in Grenoble, France, found that men who drank two or more glasses of red wine daily reduced their heart attack risk by 50 percent. The beneficial amount of wine varies depending on age and sex of the drinker. For example, women who drink as few as two glasses of wine daily could increase their risk for acquiring liver disease.
Researchers have discovered that the wine's origin could influence the level of benefits. Studies have found, for example, that Israeli red wine reduces cholesterol oxidation twice as much as French wine because it has a higher concentration of beneficial flavonoids, according to "Reader's Digest."
Improved Memory
Drinking red wine can improve memory, according to a 2009 Wake Forest University study led by Kaycee Sink, MD and was presented at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease. Researchers found that participants aged 75 years and older who drank up to two glasses of wine per day had a 37 percent lower risk of developing dementia compared with nondrinkers. The study's researchers think the mechanism of action may be a brain chemical important for memory released by the alcohol consumption, according to "Woman's Day" magazine.
Reduced Inflammation
Drinking red wine reduces inflammation because of the antioxidant resveratrol it contains, according to experts. "Alcohol helps with inflammation and definitely will reduce pain," says Alirio Melendez, MD, PhD, senior lecturer at the University of Glasgow. "Many scientists believe that a glass of wine each day may help control potential inflammatory diseases," reported "Woman's Day" magazine.
Longer Life
In 2005, a Harvard study published in the "British Medical Journal" found that people who followed the Mediterranean diet including moderate amounts of red wine in addition to vegetables, fruits, nuts and olive oil, is linked to life extension. The compound ethanol in wine likely plays a role in conferring longevity, according to the study author Dimitros Trichopoulos, MD, professor of cancer prevention and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.
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