Disclaimer
I am not a doctor and the information I am using here comes from what I have read in magazines, newspapers and the Internet. There are a lot of claims and counter claims when it comes to the effect of wine on your health and the problem is that the long term effects have not been fully documented yet. What ever the claims, you need to talk it over with your doctor before trying to use wine as a health aid. The alcohol in wine may make any medication you are using ineffective, and to much alcohol can cause serious medical conditions. Just about anything we take internally can be a poison if too much is used.
Negative Side of Wine
Remember that there is residual unfermented sugar in wine and alcohol is turned back into a starch so that your body can deal with it. You start drinking a lot of wine or any alcohol related beverage and you could find yourself 40 pounds overweight, which can have more of a negative effect on your health that the benefit you get from the wine.
According to Joy Bauer, Today Show nutritionist and diet editor, plus the author of "Food Cures", one downside to wine consumption is that it can elevate triglyceride levels, which are associated with health problems such as diabetes. Because of that and the sugar in wine, people with diabetes should either avoid or dramatically reduce their wine consumption.
Studies have shown that alcohol can increase a woman's chances of getting breast cancer. The benefits of wine consumption is good for a lot of cancers, including prostate cancer, which is why it is suggested men can drink two glasses of wine a day. Because of the effects of alcohol increasing the chances of a woman getting breast cancer, is why it is recommended they only drink one glass a day.
Red wine is often a big trigger for those suffering from migraine headaches. A lot of people think it is the sulfites in wine that causes the problem, but it appears to be an accumulation of histamines and tannins from prolonged contact with the grape skins. This is why people usually get these types of headaches from drinking red wine rather than white. It doesn't mean you have to give up red wine. Switching to a wine with less skin contact or low in tannins may solve your problem.
If it was the sulfites causing migraines, people would be more likely to get these types of headaches from whites than reds, as commercial whites have more sulfites, while reds have more tannins and histamines. It is estimated than only 1% of people are allergic to sulfites and people with asthma are in the most susceptible category. Most wines average 125 ppm sulfite, with wines today being at an all time low. Even organic wine will have between 10-20 ppm of naturally occurring sulfite in them.
When you drink wine, you consume empty calories, which mean they lack nutrients and can lead to weight gain. If you drink two glasses of wine, you are consuming about 240 empty calories, which is equivalent to a 20 ounce Coke. Now have that with a large pizza or a big plate or two of pasta and you are going to be going up a size in clothing. You need balance in what you eat or you will have serious medical problems.
Wine Consumption Benefits
There have been studies that show moderate wine consumption is good for you. A lot of doctors today are admitting there are health benefits from moderate consumption of wine, but the same benefits are not seen with beer or hard liquor.
The consumption of wine is the major answer to the what is called the French Paradox. Rich, fatty foods, which are staples of the French diet are suppose to lead to heart conditions and other medical problems, and yet, people in France have a lower incidence of these problems than people in North America.
Moderate consumption of red wine may help protect against certain cancers, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and the problems caused by the lack of estrogen in older women. It is the antioxidants in the wine that appear to help and these antioxidants are also found in peanuts, blueberries and cranberries.
Why Red Wine and Not White Wine?
It is the way red wine is made compared to white wine. A lot of these antioxidants are found in the seeds and skins of the grapes.
White wines are crushed and pressed right away so there is no colour from the skins getting in the wine. It means there are not as much antioxidants in white wine either. The same happens with blush wines, which are made from red grapes, but not fermented on the skins and seeds.
Red wines are crushed and fermented on the skins and seeds and then the juice is pressed out. This gets the red colour in the wine and also more of the chemicals that help in the fight against certain health problems.
Cancer
The big antioxidant in wine is resveratrol which studies have shown has anti cancer properties which act on several different levels:
- Minimizes DNA mutations.
- Induces death in cancer cells.
- Blocks formation of new blood vessels that feed tumors.
Resveratrol works by neutralizing oxidation of free radicals and keeps them from penetrating cell membranes and destroying the proteins and DNA inside healthy cells. Laboratory studies have shown that resveratrol can cause certain cancer cells to self-destruct. This has been observed in breast cancer, skin cancer, and leukemia cells and it suppresses the growth of prostate cancer cells.
Research from the State University of New York shows that a glass of wine per week may help prevent colon cancer. Colorectal polyps occur in 18% of people who consume beer or grain based hard liquor. 12% of non drinkers have these polyps but only 1% of wine drinkers have them. These polyps can lead to colon cancer.
Dementia
A Danish study published in the journal Neurology showed that drinking red wine on a regular basis cuts a person's risk of developing dementia in half, while drinking beer doubles one's change of developing Alzheimer's disease. The researchers hypothesized that flavonoids or natural antioxidants in red wine could be responsible for the protection.
The author cautioned that it doesn't mean people should start drinking wine or drink more that they usually do. Other researchers caution that the study is limited and diet may have a more important role than the wine, as wine drinkers have better dietary habits.
Aging
There is an interesting report from 60 Minutes that shows Resveratrol can have a big effect on the aging process.
Colds
According to Don Harrison, the Health Reporter for the Vancouver Province newspaper, scientists at Harvard and two Spanish medical schools have found that a glass or two of wine a day helps fight the common cold. Wines, especially the reds, contain cold-fighting chemicals called polyphenols, which boost cells and relax blood vessels.
Menopause
According to the Science Daily, drinking wine can help relieve some of the problems encountered by menopausal women. Again the big helper here is Resveratrol, which is a known phytoestrogen. This means it has similar properties as estrogen, which allows it to bind with estrogen receptors in the body.
Studies have shown that if may benefit certain conditions affected by the decrease in natural estrogen as a woman ages.
- Symptoms of menopause.
- Osteoporosis.
- Cardiovascular disease.
A glass a day may provide enough resveratrol to protect against estrogen depletion in the body. Again, check with your doctor and do not give up any medication you are now taking. Remember that estrogen can cause problems with certain existing cancers, especially breast cancer and Resveratrol could do the same thing.
Heart Attack and Stroke
According to the National Science Foundation Resveratrol has blood thinning properties which stops blood cells from sticking together and so limits the formation of clots. These clots can block blood vessels, causing stroke or a heart attack.
Researchers at Harvard have found that red wine improves cardiovascular health. A team of scientists at St Barts, the London School of Medicine and Queen Mary University in London found that polyphenols in wine interfere with production of a body chemical that is vital to a process that clogs arteries and increases the risk of heart attacks.
A look at LDLHeartDisease.com shows the Resveratrol also limits oxidation of Low Density Lipotean Cholesterol, or LDL. This cholesterol is the first step to production of plaques on the inside of blood vessels that cause hardening of the arteries.
On the other side of that, Joy Bauer, who I mentioned in The Negative Side of Wine, says that it has been well documented that Resveratrol raise the good HDL Cholesterol or High Density Lipotean Cholesterol. This means it helps in thinning blood.
Other Helpers In Wine
According to the National Cancer Institute, research has shown a flavnoid know as Catehin, along with Resveratrol, plays an important role in reducing the risk of heat disease. Catehin is also found in green tea. Science Daily reports Saponins, which are found in red wine, olive oil and soya beans has protective benefits for the heart. Another antioxidant present in red wine is Guercetin, which Jennifer Copley, a BC feature writer, researcher and editor says is being studied for it's value in preventing lung cancer.
Warning
Again, I must remind you to always check with your doctor if you have existing medical condition before trying wine as a cure-all for your problems. If you just want to enjoy a little preventive medicine, Cheers.