Doctors are hesitant to recommend anyone start drinking alcoholic beverages, but moderate consumption of alcohol is associated with a 30 percent decrease in risk of developing atherosclerotic disease. Additionally, there is significant evidence that moderate consumption of red wine lowers your risk of heart disease.
Increased HDL
According to a study published in the "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition" in 2005, red wine consumption is associated with an 11 to 16 percent increase in fasting HDL levels. This was after just four weeks of consuming 300 ml per day of red wine for male subjects and 200 ml per day for females. Because the study also included test groups that received water with grape extract tablets, it's not clear whether the effect on HDL was due to alcohol content or an attribute of red wine or grapes specifically.
Benefits of HDL
HDL is called good cholesterol because it actually has beneficial effects. According to the American Heart Association, unlike low-density lipoproteins, which can clog arteries, HDL actually flushes cholesterol out of the blood vessels and into the liver, where it can be flushed from the body. Some scientists believe HDL actually can reverse atherosclerosis by removing arterial plaque. Low levels of HDL are linked with higher incidence of heart disease.
Resveratrol
What gives red wine its color is the skin of the grape. It might also be the skin that gives red wine it's unique health benefits. According to the Mayo Clinic, grape skins contain resveratrol, an antioxidant that increases blood vessel flexibility and reduces risk of blood clots. Eating grapes and drinking grape juice are other ways to get resveratrol that do not involve drinking alcohol. Though resveratrol has heart-healthy benefits, it does not seem to be directly linked with elevated levels of HDL associated with alcohol consumption.
Lifestyle
Researchers are not certain whether the increase in HDL associated with drinking red wine is a general benefit of alcohol, is specific to red wine or is a result of other related lifestyle choices. Wine drinkers might, as a whole, benefit from factors such as superior diet, higher levels of exercise, better socioeconomic status or patterns of alcohol consumption that create their lowered rates of atherosclerosis.
Moderate Drinking
Moderate alcohol consumption is defined by the American Heart Association as one to two drinks per day. One drink is defined as 5 oz. of wine. Drinking more can lead to adverse effects such as high blood pressure, liver damage, obesity and alcoholism. There are no recommended daily intake levels for alcoholic beverages.
