The common wisdom for many looking to get healthy is to stay away from alcohol. The negative effects of drinking too much have been well documented, but the positive ones tend to get buried within the larger narrative. Drinking red wine has been proven to help your health significantly in different ways. This isn’t entirely surprising given that people have been drinking wine for thousands of years, and there are ancient records capturing its benefits for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. New and emerging scientific research seems to underscore this documentation, definitely suggesting that drinking wine in moderate amounts can be good for you. This article provides all the necessary information about how drinking wine can do you a world of good.
Reduces Inflammation
Red wine in particular is full of healthy compounds that contain anti-inflammatory properties. This news is a godsend for people who suffer from chronic inflammation regularly. Dealing with that level of inflammation on a daily basis is not only deeply uncomfortable, but can increase the risk of harmful conditions such as autoimmune disorders, heart disease, and even certain kinds of cancer. One glass of red wine a day has been proven to reduce these risks considerably, in conjunction with a proper diet and overall stress reduction techniques of course. While more research needs to be done in order to fully understand how and why wine is able to reduce inflammation, it’s a good bet that drinking it in small amounts can definitely help.
Heart Health
For anyone growing up in the nineties, the fact that red wine may actually be good for your heart is not exactly news. However, recent research further supports this fact and makes it clear that people who imbibe moderate amounts of wine tend to have a reduced risk of heart disease. For those who are also looking for ways to help burn the fat that tends to be the bane of anyone suffering from a heart condition, looking into the review of FitVine wine is illuminating. It shows that individuals who struggle with high cholesterol, or various kinds of metabolic dysfunctions can reduce the impact of these diseases with a bit of help from wine. It seems that the high concentration of polyphenol antioxidants in red wine is responsible for this heartening news, and it’s also helpful in reducing high blood pressure.
Antioxidants
Most of us these days are on the lookout for foods that are rich in antioxidants since they have numerous health benefits. They contain properties that help prevent cellular damage, which means it’s good for our body in numerous ways, not to mention our skin. Red wine is full of antioxidants that have been proven to prevent cellular damage typically caused by oxidation or inflammation. Oxidation means that your cells are stressed due to the presence of free radicals, which can affect your body in many unpleasant ways. Also, in this case, the kind of wine is extremely important. While white wine or rose is fine and all, they’re not going to help keep you healthy. Red wine in particular has been shown to be full of antioxidants, especially when compared to white wine. Antioxidants, in general, have been shown to reduce the risk of diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, and you can safely add red wine to the list of food and drink that can help stave off these conditions.
Good Cholesterol
It was mentioned earlier that moderate amounts of red wine may help reduce the presence of cholesterol. To be more precise, it helps to mitigate the effects of so-called bad cholesterol and boost the production of “good” HDL cholesterol by about twelve percent. One to two glasses a day can help clean up the LDL cholesterol in the system – the “bad” kind – and lessen the amount in the body that tends to clog up arteries.
Anxiety
If you need to find a way to lessen your anxiety and stress levels – and let’s be honest, who doesn’t – then drinking a glass of wine will surely help. Again, the all-mighty polyphenols in red wine help to offer a much-needed antidote to anxiety and depression. That cliched image of a teacher unwinding after a long day of work at the school rushing home to drink a glass of wine is rooted in reality. According to researchers, the compound found in wine seems to block the growth of an enzyme that is linked to excess stress in the brain. It is definitely an excellent way to destress. Of course, it should not be used as a crutch. So, one glass a day is more than enough to help lessen symptoms of anxiety. Anything more than that tends to be a huge red flag.
Gallstones
Another benefit to drinking red wine that seems to go forgotten is that it helps with gallstones. As anyone who has been through the pain of passing a gallstone will tell you, it can be rather excruciating, and if you can get into the habit of preventing them in the first place, then that would be for the best. A few notable scientific studies seem to indicate that red wine in moderate amounts is an excellent preventative measure against the formation of gallstones altogether.
Moderation is Key
This point has been underscored several times throughout this article, but we shouldn’t put too fine a point on it. Red wine mustn’t be treated like the end-all, be-all of healthy habits. A daily glass of wine can definitely benefit your health, but that is it: just one glass. More than that on a daily basis is a bad idea, and keeping to a moderate amount will ensure that you reap all the positive benefits without any of the negative ones.
Given that we can’t really go out these days due to COVID, having a glass of wine at the tail-end of a long and exhausting week is one of the few luxuries we can afford. Luckily, when used in small amounts, it’s also a pretty healthy habit to maintain and enjoy whenever possible.
Photo by Zan on Unsplash
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