What Are The Health Benefits of Red Wine?

For centuries, red wine has been prized not only for its taste and its alcohol content, but also its health benefits. While most people who drink red wine regularly do so because they enjoy doing so, recent studies have shown that there are benefits to the health of those who have a glass or two per day.

Just one more reason to join that wine of the month club

Red wine is an excellent source of antioxidants, compounds which are believed to reduce your risk of heart disease and some cancers. There are other heart healthy compounds in red wine as well, making it a great way to protect against heart disease.

Resveratrol is the most important antioxidant compound in red wine. Resveratrol is a phytoestrogen which not only protects against cancer but can also help to restore hormonal balance in women who have been through menopause or suffered from breast cancer.

Resveratrol found in red wine is also able to actively minimize certain cells from mutating into cancer cells and has even shown to be able to reduce the cancerous cells present in some. Resveratrol  can actively trigger the break down of certain types of cancerous cells found in breast cancer and skin cancer and is also able to block the active growth of other types of existing cancer cells in the body. It can hinder the growth of tumors.  Red wine may also be able to help to prevent colon cancer and even prostate cancer.

Guercetin is another antioxidant found in red wine which has anti-inflammatory properties which are especially helpful to those suffering from COPD and other respiratory diseases; this compound may also help to prevent lung cancer.

In people who eat diets with particularly high fat-content, a glass of red wine is also thought to help in reducing the level of cholesterol in the system and even help to reduce blood pressure.

The health benefits of red wine seem to have more to do with enjoying it in moderation. In this case more is definitely not better. Drinking too much or binging on rare occasions may actually damage organs like the liver or kidneys and negate any health benefits you might have otherwise gained.

The research shows that one or two glasses a day for men or one glass for women is sufficient to enjoy the health benefits offered by red wine. There have also been studies performed on the possibility that red wine may be able to slow down the aging process somewhat as well.

Everyone likes a glass of red wine on occasion; it’s great to have a glass with dinner or just wile winding down after a long day – and with all of its health benefits, you’ll want to make red wine a regular part of your diet.

If only everything good for us was so pleasant. To your health!

Now next time you trying to think of great wine gifts, you can give the gift of red wine and give the gift of health at the same time.