Drinking wine, particularly red varieties, has long been considered a heart-healthy practice, notes MayoClinic.com. However, doctors don't generally recommend using red wine solely for medicinal purposes due to insufficient supporting evidence. If you don't already consume wine, consider the purported health pros and cons of drinking it before you pour yourself a glass.
Suggested Benefits
The antioxidants in red wine may reduce your risk of developing heart disease, in part, by reducing the amount of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol your body produces, according to the Yale-New Haven Hospital. LDL cholesterol is often referred to as "bad" cholesterol because it can accumulate with other substances as plaque on your artery walls and increase your chances of having a blood clot that leads to a stroke or heart attack. The antioxidants in wine may also increase your high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which is referred to as "good" cholesterol because it may help shuttle "bad" cholesterol out of the body. Another heart-healthy perk of red wine is that it may impede your body's formation of blood clots.
Underlying Factors
Two groups of chemicals in red wine may benefit your cholesterol levels. A compound called resveratrol, which is found in grape skins, can act as an antioxidant and block cholesterol from building as a plaque on the arteries. Red wine specifically contains resveratrol because grape skins are used in its production. More recently, research has shown that plant compounds called saponins may be another part of red wine that helps reduce cholesterol. Saponins are thought to come from grapes' waxy skin and dissolve into the red wine as it ferments. ScienceDaily reports on a 2003 study at the University of California, Davis, which found saponins may bind to "bad" cholesterol and prevent the body from absorbing it. According to the research, a single glass of red wine contains about half the amount of saponins an average person would consume in one day.
Reservations
No concrete evidence has confirmed that drinking red wine is the best way to keep your cholesterol levels low. Most research involving resveratrol has used animals, not people, and the levels of resveratrol used on animals in the studies have generally been much higher than you would consume in a glass of red wine, notes MayoClinic.com. Additionally, some of the supporting evidence in studies involving people may be related to other lifestyle factors, such as a healthy diet and increased levels of physical activity, rather than a direct link between red wine and cholesterol levels. Research has also not concluded that red wine is significantly more effective at helping cholesterol levels than drinking grape juice or other types of alcohol.
Considerations
Excessive alcohol consumption can contribute to other health problems, including high blood pressure, liver cirrhosis, certain cancers and addiction. If you already enjoy a daily glass of red wine, keep your drinking to a moderate one to two drinks a day. One drink is equivalent to about 5 oz. of wine. Other ways to improve your cholesterol levels are to exercise at least 30 minutes a day, eat more soluble fiber from foods such as oatmeal, consume less saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, quit smoking and lose weight if you're overweight. You may also be a candidate for cholesterol-reducing medication if your numbers stay too high.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Cholesterol Levels: What Numbers Should You Aim For?; June 2010
- ScienceDaily; New Cholesterol Fighter Found in Red Wine; September 2003
- American Heart Association: Alcohol, Wine and Cardiovascular Disease
- MayoClinic.com; Red Wine and Resveratrol: Good for Your Heart?; March 2011
- "Circulation"; Red Wine and Your Heart; P. Szmitko, et al; January 2005
- Yale-New Haven Hospital: A Glass of Red Wine a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
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