According to the Wine Institute, Americans consumed nearly 9 liters of wine per person in 2009, a 4.5 percent increase over the previous three years, yet it was only about one-fourth of that consumed by the average person in France over the same time period. Moderate wine consumption is both enjoyable and healthy, particularly for heart health and maintaining safe cholesterol levels, as a growing body of research shows.
HDLs
Alcohol consumption of wine, beer and spirits increases levels of high density lipoprotein, HDL, the good form of cholesterol, according a retrospective study published in the February 2011 issue of the "British Medical Journal." Apolipoprotein A1, the protein that forms the structural backbone for HDL, also increased, and levels of fibrinogen, a protein that forms blood clots, decreased. Alcohol did not affect triglyceride levels. Reserchers concluded that moderate alcohol use may improve cholesterol-related risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Oxidized Cholesterol
An Italian study found that drinking red wine with a high-fat meal prevents oxidation of cholesterol following the meal. In the study, published in the February 2011 issue of the "British Journal of Nutrition," participants drank 300 mL of red wine and ate a double cheeseburger. Red wine completely prevented a spike in several forms of oxidized cholesterol that occurred in participants who did not drink red wine with the same meal. This beneficial effect is known as the French paradox, for the high fat consumption and low cardiovascular disease rates in France. In a study published in the February 2010 issue of the journal "Seminars in Thrombosis and Hemostasis," researchers describe several compounds in red wine that may account for the favorable cardiovascular benefits. However, they caution that evidence in favor of wine consumption is not sufficient to encourage nondrinkers to take up wine drinking.
Saponins
Saponins in red wine are thought to lower cholesterol, according to Sunita Pant Bansal, author of the book "Cholesterol Busters: A 15-Day Detox Plan." Saponins are as plentiful in red wine as the antioxidant resveratrol. These soap-like molecules lower cholesterol levels by binding to cholesterol in the intestinal tract to prevent absorption and also in the liver and bile. Red wine also raises levels of high density lipoprotein, HDL, the good form of cholesterol, and it inhibits formation of low density lipoprotein, LDL, the bad form of cholesterol.
Triglycerides
The University of Maryland Medical Center cautions that, while alcohol has been shown to increase levels of HDL cholesterol, it may also offset that benefit by raising triglyceride levels. Above all, drink alcohol moderately to derive the most benefits and avoid the hazards associated with excess alcohol consumption. For women, that amounts to no more than one drink, or 4 oz. of wine per day, and for men, twice that amount.
References
- "British Medical Journal"; Effect of Alcohol Consumption on Biological Markers Associated with Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Interventional Studies; S.E. Brien, et al.; February 2011
- "Cholesterol Busters: A 15 Days' Detox Plan to Reduce Cholesterol"; Sunita Pant Bansal; 2006
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Wine and Heart Health - Overview
- "Seminars in Thrombosis and Hemostasis"; Moderate Red Wine Consumption and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Beyond the "French Paradox"; G. Lippi, et al.; February 2010
- "British Journal of Nutrition"; Moderate Red Wine Consumption and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Beyond the "French Paradox" G. Lippi et al.; February 2011
