Wine is Good for Your Health: Fact or Myth?

The merits of drinking wine have been repeatedly debated by everyone from your grandmother to researchers. Keep in mind, that when discussing the health benefits of wine, people are specifically talking about red wine. Read on to learn more about the health effects that come from drinking wine and determine if drinking wine is actually healthy for you or not.

What’s Red Wine?

Red wine is pretty simple to make, on paper. It is prepared by crushing and fermenting red grapes. Wine varies in color and taste and is made in different styles and with different methods. It typically has an alcohol content level between 12-15%. Research has shown that drinking red wine definitely has many health benefits to offer.

Red Wine’s Health Effects

The source of red wine’s healthy benefits, are its antioxidant compounds which include, catechin, resveratrol, epicatechin, and proanthocyanidins. This is especially the case for proanthocyanidins and resveratrol. The proanthocyanidins play a major role in reducing oxidative damage throughout the body and prevent cancer and heart disease. Resveratrol comes from the grape’s skin and is a natural anti-inflammatory and blood clotting agent. It can also reduce your risk of succumbing to heart disease, cancer, or stroke.

More Health Effects of Red Wine

Red wine has many other effects that you can benefit from over time:

Reduce risk of dementia
Drinking 1-3 glasses of wine daily can lower your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life.

Reduce risk of depression
Depression is also affected by red wine consumption. Drinking 207 glasses of wine a week can help resist the onset of depression.

Reduce insulin resistance
Red wine can be great for diabetics as well. Drinking 2 glasses of red wine a day for about a month can improve your insulin resistance.

Remember when drinking red wine for health benefits, not to drink to the point of drunkenness. You only need 1-2 glasses per day to get the full benefits of red wine. If you drink more, you risk negating the benefits.