Is Red Wine
Really Good For You?
Some studies indicate it might be. But only
if you stick to the recommended limit: one glass a day for women, two for men
THE
PARTY season is upon us. So what are you drinking? Sticking to red wine because
it’s good for you? How much are you having?
In
2011, the American Heart Association polled 1,000 adults and found that 76 per
cent agreed that wine could be good for the heart, but only 30 per cent knew
what the recommended limits were.
Red Alert
Red
wine worship started when people (Americans mostly) began to wonder how
wine-guzzling, carb-loving French folk managed to stay healthier than others.
This was called the French Paradox and the dietary habits of France were
studied minutely. A few studies and surveys later, wine (like olive oil) was
put on a pedestal. This was because it contains compounds like quercetin and
resveratrol (polyphenols), from red/ purple grapes, which can lower
cholesterol, blood pressure and weight and help prevent cancer.
Wine
(both red and white) also has lowest sugar content amongst alcoholic drinks and
contains fewer calories than other spirits. Plus, wine is mostly sipped slowly,
so people probably drink less of it.
Unfortunately,
most wine studies are still a work in progress. Some show that the effect of
resveratrol is only short term. Another report associated drinking wine with a
higher incidence of breast cancer in women.
So
the halo hovering above that bottle of red is not justified.
Plus,
most research on resveratrol has been done on animals, not people. And red wine
frenzy only began in the 1990s, so the studies can't tell us about long-term
outcomes of its effects on heart disease, inflammation and cancer. There’s some
evidence that any heart benefits of wine generally only work over the age of
45.
Going
overboard?
So
how much is good for you? Stick to the prescribed amount – no more than two
drinks (eight ounces) a day for men and one drink (four ounces) per day for
women. Any more will, in fact, make you more vulnerable to heart disorders,
high blood pressure, stroke and osteoporosis. Antioxidants or not, wine still
has alcohol. And alcohol (even wine) is addictive.
The Bottom Line
If
you are a non-drinker, you don’t need to begin. No expert will recommend that
you start drinking red wine (or any alcohol) just to fight heart disease or
cancer. Quercetin is found in apples, citrus fruits, onions, parsley, grapes
and tea. Resveratrol is found in fruits and vegetables, peanuts, pistachios,
grapes, blueberries, cranberries, cocoa and dark chocolate.
If
you do drink, then stick to the prescribed limit.
So
a glass of wine with dinner? Bien sûr! That’s good. But not two, not three, not
four, not five, and certainly not a bottle at a time.
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