The Benefits and properties of red wine Ranging from its antioxidant power, reduce depression, prevent breast cancer, dementia and prostate cancer, and others I will mention below.
Red wine has long been considered an alcoholic beverage with certain health benefits. Many believe that drinking a glass every day is part of a healthy diet, while others believe that red wine has been a bit overrated.
Scientific evidence has always shown that moderate red wine contributes to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, there is a fine line between moderate and excessive consumption.
What is a moderate consumption of red wine?
It is said that the"moderate consumption"of red wine is good for health. But how much is a"moderate"consumption of wine?
The amount of wine advisable depends on many factors; The person's texture, age, sex, body height and general health, as well as whether red wine is consumed with food or on an empty stomach.
Women absorb alcohol faster than men because of the lower water content of their body and different levels of enzymes in the stomach. Therefore, moderate consumption of wine is a smaller amount for women than for men.
According to the American Dietetic Guide 2010, published by the US Department of Agriculture,"If you consume alcohol, it should be consumed in moderation - up to one glass a day for women and two glasses a day for men" .
What are the benefits of drinking wine for health?
Before mentioning these benefits, it is important to note that they have been tested when consumption is moderate.
1- Reduces the risk of depression
A team from several universities in Spain published in the journal BMC Medicine that the consumption of wine can reduce the risk of contracting depression .
The researchers collected data on 2,683 men and 2,822 women between the ages of 55 and 80 over a seven-year period. Participants had to complete a questionnaire that included details about their drinking, and their mental health.
The authors found that men and women who drank two to seven glasses of wine a week were less likely to be diagnosed with depression.
Even after taking into account the factors of Lifestyle That could influence their outcomes, the risk of developing depression remained significantly lower.
2- Delay aging
The monks believed that wine slowed the aging process, today scientists also do.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School reported that red wine has anti-aging properties.
Lead researcher David Sinclair argues that"resveratrol improved the health of mice that were following a high-fat diet and increased their life expectancy."
Their findings, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, were the first convincing evidence of the definitive relationship between the antiaging properties of resveratrol and the SIRT1 gene.
He Resveratrol Is the compound responsible for this beneficial effect. It is found in the skin of red grapes, blueberries, berries and walnuts.
The anti-aging properties of red wine have been known for more than a thousand years. Monasteries throughout Europe were convinced that the lives of the monks were longer in comparison to the rest of the population, and that it was due in part to the moderate and regular consumption of wine.
A study carried out at the University of London found that procyanidins, compounds commonly found in red wine, keep blood vessels healthy and are one of the factors that contribute to a longer life, such as The people of Sardinia and the southwest of France. Researchers also found that traditionally made red wine has much higher levels of procyanidins than other wines.
3- Prevents breast cancer
Consumption of alcohol on a sustained basis increases the risk of contracting Breast cancer . However, red wine intake has the opposite effect, according to the findings of researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
The chemicals in the skins and seeds of red grapes reduce the levels of Estrogens , While increasing testosterone in premenopausal women, which translates into a lower risk of developing breast cancer. Not only does red wine have beneficial compounds, but its raw material, the red grape.
4. Prevent dementia
Researchers at the Loyola University Medical Center found that moderate consumption of red wine may contribute to a decreased risk of developing dementia .
In this study, the researchers conducted a collection and analysis of academic research data on red wine from 1977 onwards. Studies, spanning 19 nations, showed a statistically significant lower risk of dementia among red wine drinkers Regular and moderate in 14 countries.
The researchers explained that resveratrol reduces the viscosity of Platelets Of blood, which helps keep blood vessels open and flexible. This helps maintain a good blood supply To the brain .
Principal investigator Professor Edward J. Neafsey stated that moderate red wine drinkers had a 23% lower risk of developing dementia compared to people who rarely or never consumed the alcohol.
5- Protects against severe sunburn
Wine and grape derivatives can help to reduce the harmful effects of Ultraviolet radiation , According to the scientists of the University of Barcelona, in Spain, in the magazine of Food and Agricultural Chemistry.
The researchers concluded that Flavonoids , Found in wine and grapes, inhibit the formation of reactive oxygen species in sun-exposed skin.
6- Prevent diseases that cause blindness
According to scientists at the University of Washington Medical School in St. Louis, red wine can stop the process called Angiogenesis (Opening of new blood vessels in the ocular area), which leads to the development of blindness.
Diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of blindness among Americans over the age of 50, are caused by this angiogenesis in the eye.
Researchers explained that resveratrol is the wine-containing compound that protects vision.
7- Protects against damage after stroke
Red wine can protect the brain from apoplexy , According to researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Professor Sylvain Doré believes that red wine resveratrol increases levels of hemo oxygenase, an enzyme known to protect nerve cells from damage to the brain. When someone suffers stroke , The brain is prepared to protect itself because of the rising levels of enzymes.
8- Improves lung function and prevents lung cancer
Dutch scientists report a study examining the effects of resveratrol, red wine and the White wine On lung function.
They found that
- Red wine is good for lung function
- White wine was also good for lung function
One member of the study concluded"beneficial effects on lung function are probably related to many compounds present in wine, and not just with resveratrol."
On the other hand, according to a study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, the intake of red wine can reduce the risk of lung cancer.
9- Increase levels of omega-3 fatty acids
Wine is better than other alcoholic beverages to raise levels of omega-3 fatty acids in plasma and red blood cells, according to the IMMIDIET study involving European researchers from various countries.
The study examined 1,604 adults in London, Abruzzo (Italy), and Limburg (Belgium). All underwent a thorough medical examination with a general practitioner and also completed an annual consumption frequency questionnaire that included details of their eating habits.
They found that moderate wine drinkers had higher blood levels of Omega-3 fatty acids , Which are generally derived from fish consumption. Omega-3 fatty acids are known to protect against coronary heart disease.
Scientists found that consuming wine acts as a trigger, increasing levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the body.
10- Prevent liver disease
A study conducted at the University of California at San Diego concluded that moderate wine consumption reduces the risk of Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease In half, compared to people who never drank wine. His finding challenged conventional thinking about alcohol consumption and liver health.
Researchers reported in the journal Hepatology that moderate drinkers of beer or liquor had a four-fold increased risk of developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease compared to wine drinkers.
11- Protect against prostate cancer
Seattle researchers examined general alcohol consumption and found no relationship to the risk of contracting prostate cancer .
However, when they went a step further and analyzed the different alcoholic beverages, a clear association was identified between red wine consumption and a lower risk of prostate cancer.
Even moderate consumption of red wine (one glass per week) reduced men's prostate cancer risk by 6%, the authors reported.
12- Prevent type 2 diabetes
In an experiment with animals, scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences discovered that resveratrol improves sensitivity to insulin . Insulin resistance is the most important critical factor contributing to the risk of type 2 diabetes .
Researchers reported in the journal Cell Metabolism that resveratrol also increased levels of the enzyme SIRT1, which improves insulin sensitivity in mice.
Study leader Qiwei Zhai said that red wine may have some benefits for insulin sensitivity, but this should be confirmed in later studies.
And what other benefits of red wine do you know?