We all know moderation is key–especially when it comes to alcohol. But what if we told you that you didn’t have to feel bad about unwinding with a nice glass of red or white wine? Today we’re going to uncork the health benefits of wine!
Red Wine
We’ve often heard that red wine is the healthiest choice when it comes to alcohol consumption. But did you know that women should only drink one glass of red wine a day and men, no more than two?
Science has proven that red wine is full of health benefits from heart health, vision and even some cancer prevention measures. So how does red wine do all this? Resveratrol.
Resveratrol is a plant compound that behaves similarly to an antioxidant. This compound has been proven to have a multitude of health benefits including:
- Reduce the risk of heart disease
- Boost omega-3 fatty acid levels
- Aiding in blood vessel health, reducing blood pressure
- Protect the brain from damage following a stroke
- Protect against vision loss by protecting blood vessel growth in eyes
- Potentially reducing the size of tumors related to colon cancer
- Reducing the risk of developing dementia
We can cheer to those health benefits! But what about white wine?
White Wine
It’s long been known that there are health benefits to drinking red wine in moderation. But how about a glass of white?
While not full of the same antioxidants as red wine, studies show that a glass of white wine in moderation can also aid in a long life. Such benefits to white wine include:
- Repairing endothelial cells which line blood vessels, thus aiding in heart health
- Antioxidants which protect against Alzheimer’s
- The amount of caffeic acid within the wine can help with kidney health
The Final Verdict: How Much is a Safe Amount? Weighing the Health Benefits of Wine…
How much wine can you reasonably drink? This greatly depends on your individual health. If you have preexisting conditions or an increased likelihood of dependency, you’ll want to consult with your doctor before adding wine to your health routine.
According to the Mayo Clinic, healthy adults in the following categories may consume various amounts of wine such as:
- Up to one drink a day for women of all ages.
- Up to one drink a day for men older than age 65.
- Up to two drinks a day for men age 65 and younger.
One drink of red wine is approximately 5 ounces.
While there are a lot of positives that come out of drinking wine in moderation, we must do our due diligence to remind our readers that there are drawbacks to drinking alcohol like the risk of dependency, addiction, weight gain, and organ damage. So please, drink responsibly.