Red Wine Saves Human Species!
From all the reports referring to the health benefits of red wine nowadays you would think that it was some kind of an all purpose, cure-all. Is it?
While countless studies have shown a positive relationship between a moderate* consumption of alcohol and healthy living, red wine seems to be the favourite.
First there was the French Paradox concept introduced to us by a CBS 60 Minutes report in 1991. This study from the University of Bordeaux linked the fact that although French people ate a diet loaded with saturated fats and smoked more, they had a much lower rate of heart disease than Americans. The theory being that the difference was because the French drank a lot more wine. Of course, there may be several reasons for this including the French diet and lifestyle. However, a more carefully controlled re-visit of this study in 1998 seemed to confirm the original report. Middle aged men who drank a moderate amount of wine on a daily basis were compared to both non-drinkers and heavy drinkers. This study reported that moderate wine consumption was associated with a 30% reduction in the death rate from all causes; a 35% percent reduction in death rates from cardiovascular disease, and up to a 24% reduction in cancer death rates.
These findings led to a great number of other studies by researches throughout the world. Their goal was to find out if this theory was true, and if so…why?
All
wine contains traces of minerals and vitamins including calcium, Vitamin
B, iron, potassium and magnesium. However, there are important
components found in wine that appear to have a positive effect on our
health - notably the phenolic compound Resveratrol and the Flavonols
Quercetin and Tannins (Vitamin P). Resveratrol has been proven to
possess both anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Red wine’s
greater exposure to the grape skin makes it contain more Resveratrol
than white wine. Quercetin and tannin are natural antioxidants.
Quercetin which is also in many fruits, nuts, onions and broccoli is not
found in white wine. As an antioxidant, it helps to neutralize free
radicals that damage body cells.
There is an ever-increasing list of potential benefits from one or all of these compounds! According to reports of various on-going studies, red wine can thereby reduce the production of LDL (bad) cholesterol, boosting HDL (good) cholesterol, fight against the development of plaque and blood clots in arteries, reduce the incidence of cancerous tumors, alleviate hypertension, slow down the development of breast, prostate and lung cancer, reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Parkinson’s, Diabetes and Leukemia, help women to have fewer kidney stones and keep their weight down, reduce the risk of a stroke, help along the upper digestive tract, improve mental functions, improve sleep, reduce the chance of getting a cold, lessen the effects of allergies and generally live a longer life!
Although
Quercetin is now available as a pill, Resveratrol has grabbed the
spotlight. It has become so popular that it is now available in a
variety of products at your local drug store. There are daily supplement
capsules that apparently ...” help to reduce blood pressure and
promote weight loss…” as well as anti-aging creams that allows you ”…to
retain your youthful appearance.” One manufacturer claims that
Resveratrol is effective against carcinomas of the skin, the breasts,
the colon and also the esophageal pathway. In fact, Resvertrol is also
being sold as an energy booster.
A recent study in France found that Resveratrol may help to protect against the bone density loss and insulin resistance that are often side effects of flying in outer space. They learned this by holding rats upside down by their tails to simulate weightlessness. The Researchers reported that Resveratrol "could thus be envisaged as a nutritional countermeasure for spaceflight.” and “For the first time, we report a simple countermeasure that prevents the deleterious adaptations of the major physiological functions affected by mechanical unloading," The researchers say their findings could apply not just to Astronauts but to sedentary people on the ground, who can experience some of these problems simply from not moving around enough.
* Many public health organizations throughout the world including the World Health Organization now officially state that the moderate consumption of alcohol can be included as part of a healthful diet. Although it will vary with a person’s size and weight, the typical recommendation is one glass per day for women and two for men. In Canada, the daily maximum for wine is 10 ounces (284 ml) for both men and women.