All of us who enjoy wine often justify an extra glass with its health benefits. The more cunning among us might even mention France as an example, where despite the so-called holy trinity of food – cheese, bread, and wine – the mortality rate from cardiovascular diseases is one of the lowest in the world. Many wonder why this is, and some claim the answer lies in wine.
According to medical opinion, the maximum daily intake of wine into the body is 150 ml for women and 200 ml for men, taking into account that we abstain from alcohol consumption at least two days a week. Although the aforementioned French paradox is not fully confirmed within the scientific community, it does have certain grounds.
Both red and white wine, in moderate amounts, have certain positive effects on our health, but due to the different production process, red wines contain a significantly higher amount of antioxidants, which are crucial factors for human health. They affect the breakdown of sugars and fats in the blood, blood pressure, and the flexibility of arteries, which greatly contributes to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. The potent antioxidant resveratrol, contained in the skin and seeds of black grapes, is responsible for these effects.
Resveratrol, combined with ethanol alcohol, contributes to strengthening the immune system and increases the levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the body, which have scientifically proven positive effects on heart health, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and more. The fact that omega-3 fatty acids are present in the Mediterranean cuisine of Italy, France, Spain, and Croatia, the first three of which are also leading producers of wine worldwide, is associated with a lower rate of cardiovascular diseases. In this context, Croatian nutritionist Ignac Kulier claims that the recommended daily consumption of wine reduces the risk of sudden death from heart diseases by as much as 30-50 percent. The mentioned antioxidants are responsible for preventing the formation of clots in blood vessels.
In addition to preventing heart diseases, wine also has a certain impact on protecting nerve cells in the brain after a stroke because it increases the levels of certain enzymes, leading to stronger brain protection.
Although wine helps to cleanse brain toxins and reduce the risk of dementia, excessive consumption of ethanol alcohol has significant negative consequences on our cognitive abilities. Some scientists even argue that resveratrol in red wine kills the causative agents of bacterial lung infections, and that one glass a day truly improves lung function and strengthens their capacity.
Since wine has certain antibacterial properties, its consumption can have a positive effect on oral health, so if you sometimes don’t feel like brushing your teeth, a few sips of wine seem like a good alternative. The mentioned antioxidants effectively act against those bacteria that generate plaque and adhere to teeth.
Furthermore, some experts argue that red wine could reduce the risk of certain cancers, such as breast, prostate, and lung cancer, but the key is balance because consumption above the recommended daily amount has the opposite effect. Resveratrol in wine also reduces the level of stress in your body, controlling the enzyme responsible for inducing stress in the brain. This has been shown to be a very useful method for anxiety and depressive disorders, so a glass of wine a day can have a calming effect.
In addition to all the above, it has been proven that people who moderately consume wine have firmer and denser bones than those who do not drink it, which is particularly pronounced in older men, whose bones are often prone to arthritic conditions.
Recent studies show that wine even has a positive effect on protecting the skin from sunburn caused by UV radiation, so you don’t have to feel guilty if you take a few sips of wine before heading to the beach.
All these positive effects of drinking wine can quickly turn into serious health problems if we exceed the recommended daily amount. Excessive wine consumption, besides leading to alcoholism, leads to often irreversible damage in precisely these areas where it can bring great health benefits, such as the functioning of vital organs, mental problems, and cancer development.