Beyond The Grape
Great Wine is Yours for the Making
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Wine Health Benefits
Wine is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages on the planet. Its history spans thousands of years and while heavy drinking of any alcoholic beverage rather brings lots of health-related troubles instead of benefits, current research suggests that a glass of red wine each day may be providing you with more than just a little relaxation.1
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Moderate wine drinking correlates with a lower risk for Alzheimer's disease. Researchers found that resveratrol, a red wine polyphenol, produces neuroprotective effects. POSTED September 29th, 2009 | 0 COMMENTS Red wine may prevent the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis (hardening or "furring" of the arteries). Atherosclerosis starts when blood vessels begin to lose their ability to relax. Both the alcohol and polyphenols in the red wine appear to favorably maintain healthy blood vessels by promoting the formation of nitric oxide (NO), the key chemical relaxing factor that plays an important role in the regulation of vascular tone. POSTED September 29th, 2009 | 0 COMMENTS Red wine produces anticlotting, or antithrombotic, action. Light to moderate consumers of wine have lower levels of protein fibrinogen which promotes blood clot formation. POSTED September 29th, 2009 | 0 COMMENTS Belief in the medicinal value of wine is as old as wine itself. The Pharmacopoeia of the United States of America, sixth decennial revision, published in 1882, has listings for 14 different preparations of wine, from vinum album, or white wine, made "from the unmodified juice of the grape, freed from seeds, stems, and skins," to vinum rubrum, or red wine, made "by fermenting the juice of colored grapes in presence of their skins." POSTED September 29th, 2009 | 0 COMMENTS One of the well-known and most studied benefits of red wine is its heart protective effect. Moderate consumption of red wine on a regular basis may be a preventative against coronary heart disease. Scientists believe the red wine reduces the risk of coronary heart disease by reducing production of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and boosting high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. POSTED September 29th, 2009 | 0 COMMENTS Excessive alcohol consumption is generally considered a risk factor for hypertension. However, there is some evidence of favorable effects of red wine on blood pressure. Two glasses of red wine (250 ml), taken together with the meal, lower post-meal blood pressure in hypertensive persons. POSTED September 29th, 2009 | 0 COMMENTS Red wine intake reduces the risk of kidney stone formation POSTED September 29th, 2009 | 0 COMMENTS Smoking: Acute smoking significantly impairs vessels' natural ability to relax, or vasodilate. Red wine, with or without alcohol, decreases the harmful effect of smoking on the endothelium - layer of cells that provide a friction-reducing lining in lymph vessels, blood vessels, and the heart POSTED September 29th, 2009 | 0 COMMENTS Red Wine Can Help Maintain Immune System, UF Researcher Finds Unlike many other alcoholic beverages, red wine does not suppress the immune system, according to preliminary studies at the University of Florida. While red wine has been reported to aid in the prevention of coronary heart disease and some cancers, no one has studied whether its alcohol content might offset any benefits, said food science and human nutrition researcher Susan Percival. POSTED September 29th, 2009 | 0 COMMENTS Red wine ingredient is a 'wonderdrug' An ingredient of red wine really is a 'wonderdrug', claim scientists, after research suggested it kills cancer cells and protects the heart and brain from damage. POSTED September 30th, 2009 | 0 COMMENTS Red Wine Protects The Prostate Researchers have found that men who drink an average of four to seven glasses of red wine per week are only 52% as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer as those who do not drink red wine, reports the June 2007 issue of Harvard Men's Health Watch. In addition, red wine appears particularly protective against advanced or aggressive cancers. POSTED September 29th, 2009 | 0 COMMENTS Red wine is a rich source of biologically active phytochemicals, chemicals found in plants. Particular compounds called polyphenols found in red wine-such as catechins and resveratrol-are thought to have anti oxidant or anti cancer properties. POSTED September 29th, 2009 | 0 COMMENTS The health benefits of white wine Good news for white wine lovers. New research shows that white wine is just as good for your heart as red—find out which are the best to drink POSTED October 1st, 2009 | 0 COMMENTS |
1Written by C. Simmons of HealthAssist.net