Over the years, red wine has been suggested to have a multitude of health benefits. The grape skins used to make the wine have an extremely high amount of polyphenols. There are many types of polyphenols in red wine, but the prominent polyphenol is called resveratrol. Its antioxidant properties protect the cells from damage caused by free radicals.
Heart Disease
Research suggests that moderate red wine intake (one glass per day for women and two daily for men) can potentially reduce your risk of a heart attack by 30 to 50 percent, as stated by HealthCastle.com. HealthCastle.com goes on to say that there are other potential heart health benefits of red wine, including:
• It may be therapeutic in preventing further heart attacks for individuals with a history of a prior heart attack.
• It can help increase HDL cholesterol (the good type of cholesterol) and decrease LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol).
• It can help prevent blood clots and the formation of plaque in the arteries.
Cancer
Red wine intake may be beneficial in reducing the risk for prostate and lung cancer in men. According to the National Cancer Institute, it may also decrease the risk of colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer and kidney cancer. The reason for this positive effect can be attributed to, once again, the polyphenols found in the wine. They can block the action of the enzymes that the cancer needs for development, growth and metastasis.
Other Diseases and Illnesses
Other benefits of the polyphenols found in red wine are being studied. Red wine intake seems to show promise with the following disease states:
• Alzheimers: A study done by Dr. Giulio Maria Pasinetti of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine discussed on WineandHealth.com suggests that the polyphenols seem to block the formation of proteins that build the toxic plaques thought to destroy brain cells, thus reducing cognitive deterioration.
• Obesity: Pamela Fischer-Posovszky, Ph.D., along with researchers at the University of Ulm in Germany, conducted a study discussed on ScienceDaily.com that showed that resveratrol may decrease the fat amount of cells and hinder the storage of fat.
• Inflammatory diseases, such as appendicitis, peritonitis and systemic sepsis: According to research published in the August 2009 issue of "The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal," discussed on ScienceDaily.com, studies done on mice show that resveratrol may protect against inflammation by preventing the body from creating two different molecules known to trigger inflammation, sphingosine kinase and phospholipase D. The research was completed by a team at the Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre in Scotland.
It is important to note that this research is preliminary and further research is still needed.
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