Muscadine wine may have a beneficial effect on your cholesterol profile -- if you consume it in moderation. The antioxidants in wine may raise your levels of "good" high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which in turn lowers your risk of heart disease, but more research is needed to confirm this theory. If you do not already drink wine, however, consult a doctor before you add it to your meal plans.
Significance
Muscadine is a purple-black grape grown mainly in the South. It is generally used to create a sweet red wine. There is a correlation between favorable cholesterol profiles, low heart disease incidence and moderate red wine consumption.
Resveratrol
The resveratrol in red wine may be largely responsible for its beneficial effects. Muscadine grapes are a source of this substance. The resveratrol content of wine made from grapes may, in fact, be up to six times higher than that of other red wines. However, various analyses of muscadine's resveratrol content yield inconsistent results, so whether they are a better source of resveratrol than other grapes is a subject of debate.
Timing
Drinking red wine at mealtime may be an effective way to lower your cholesterol, according to a February 2011 "British Journal of Nutrition" study, in which researchers found that consuming wine at mealtime reduced post-meal increases in blood-cholesterol oxidation products in their test subjects. More research is needed to confirm the results of this pilot study.
Considerations
Not all studies point to an overall cholesterol-lowering effect when it comes to red wine grapes like muscadine. A March 2005 "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition" study concludes that while red wine consumption can significantly increase "good" cholesterol levels, it does not affect "bad" low-density lipoprotein or overall cholesterol levels. Also, this study notes that the alcohol in wine may be responsible for its affects rather than other constituents of the wine and that lifestyle factors associated with people who tend to drink red wine may be largely responsible for benefits attributed to the wine. MayoClinic.com notes that there's still not any clear evidence that red wine trumps other forms of alcohol when it comes to possible heart-health benefits. Also, drinking more than a moderate amount of alcohol brings harmful health consequences that are well documented.
References
- "Controlling Cholesterol for Dummies"; Carol Ann Rinzler and Martin W. Graf; 2008
- University of Arkansas: The Muscadine Experience
- :Wine Spectator"; Does Muscadine Wine Have More Resveratrol; Jacob Gaffney; July 2007
- "British Journal of Nutrition"; Red Wine prevents the Postprandial Increase in Plasma Cholesterol Oxidation Products; F. Natella, et al.; February 2011
- "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Effect of Red Wine and Red Grape Extract on Blood Lipids, Haemostatic Factors, and Other Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease; A.S. Hansen, et al.; March 2005
- MayoClinic.com; Red Wine and Resveratrol; March 2011
