Wine & Good Health Part II

In the first part we discussed about good effects of wine on heart, lungs & blood pressure, In this part we explore a few more good effects & look at exactly how much quantity is good for regular consumption.

Wine & Ageing: There are numerous health spas in France that used wine in their beauty therapies. The antioxidants present in red wine help reduce wrinkles. Though many spas use extracts from grape seeds that are rich in oils for moisturising and the grape skins that are rich in tannins, washing face with red wine has been proved to bring back spring in the skin.

 Wine & Calories: A glass of red wine contains about 85 calories now compare that to a pint of lager beer that would set you back by 250 calories whereas your Jack Daniels with coke would hammer you with 350 calories. A Stanford university study suggests that the action of the wine on the metabolism somehow makes its calories less fattening.

So finally we come to that all important question..  

Is wine good for you?

In moderation and as part of an overall healthy diet, the short answer is yes!

However, the amount of wine you drink matters tremendously. Drink more than what’s recommended, your health benefits are lost and your health risks go up.

Here’s what’s considered safe and effective:

¢  Men: No more than two drinks per day.

¢  Women: No more than one drink per day.

¢  One drink is defined as a 5-ounce glass of red wine. (Approximately 140 ml).

So what do you need to start off             

      

• A wine bottle                            

             

• Cork Screw Opener  (nowadays many wines come with regular twist caps too)

• & Wine Glass

As they say better red than dead.

Cheers

Drink responsibly 

Wine & Good Health -1

Better red than dead is affectionately said by many wine lovers.  Drinking wine has long been considered a healthier option compared to consumption of other alcoholic beverages primarily because of the way it is prepared. In its simplest form it is just a fermented juice of freshly gathered grapes.

People have been drinking wines since the birth of civilization itself, they always knew about the good qualities of wine, especially red wine, it is only recently that science has been able to pin point these qualities and bring out the results for everyone. 

In this two part series  I have tried to bring out the good effects of wine consumption on our health and to support my statements I have given references of the studies conducted all over the world. 

The Red wine & Heart Disease: According to the University Of Bourgogne researchers, People who drink up to four glasses of wine daily have higher levels of HDL (good cholesterol that escorts the bad cholesterol away from artery walls). 

The famous French paradox study revealed that in spite of having rich, creamy, cheesy & starchy food, The French Gallic wine drinkers were found to be having healthier hearts than their teetotaller counterparts.

Today in many hospitals around the world heart attack victims are advised Red wine consumption during their recovery.

 Red wine & Healthy blood:   At a 2001 conference at the University Victor Segalen in Bordeaux France, a discussion raised the possibility that the 200 phenolic compounds used in the red wine maybe effective against a number of ailments ranging from heart diseases to cancer.

 Many of these compounds come from skins and seeds of the grapes that are used in the making of red wine.

Red wine & Blood pressure:   Red wine helps in calming the blood pressure British journal of Pharmacology associated the relaxation of blood vessels and reduced blood pressure with red wine consumption.

 A study done by the same journal exhibited the positive effects on people with high blood pressure.

White wine & healthy lungs:  White wine also enjoys some of the healing benefits enjoyed by its colored cousin. In the early 2002 a survey of more than 1500 New Yorkers done by the University of Buffalo uncovered that Anti-oxidants in the wine prevent the creation of free radicals, harmful molecules that damage lung tissues.

Wine & Food Poisoning:  Wine of both colours help against constipation and diarrhoea, while white wine in particular stimulates the urinary functions. An Oregon study that was also reported in the Journal of Food Science suggested that wine combats both salmonella and E. Coli. It also kills cholera bacteria and combats typhoid.

In the next part: 

* Looking at a few more ailments that can be reversed/ controlled/avoided by the consumption of wines.

* What quantity is exactly good and if you are to start then how much is too much.

Cheers!