8 Health Reasons to Pour Yourself a Glass of Wine
Does this sound a familiar scene for you?
It is late evening and you have just slipped into something comfortable and put your feet up following a busy day.
Sitting in front of the blazing fire, you reach over to pick up a glass of delicious wine (red, on this occasion).
Then you stop, Didn't you just have a large glass yesterday?
And two days ago?
Suddenly you feel guilty and consider putting the glass down.
Stop!
Yes, alcohol, in general, can cause some bad lasting effects when drank heavily, there is no denying that.
However, did you know that there are some significant health benefits related to moderate alcohol consumption?
Take a look at 8 ways in which your glass of wine can actually improve your health.
Drinking Wine Can Assist Longevity
Can wine actually help you live longer?
Yes, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The alcohol and lifestyle habits of more than 333,000 people were tracked over the period of 8 years.
Results showed that light-moderate drinkers (defined as those who drank approximately 14 drinks per week for men and 7 drinks per week for women) were less likely to die from an illness.
On the flip side, the study was also keen to emphasise that drinking more alcohol does not result in greater health benefits, the opposite in fact.
You have been warned!
Drinking Wine Lowers Risk of Heart Attack
A daily glass of wine can significantly lower the risk of heart attack, according to an article published in The Guardian.
However, make sure it is RED wine!
Resveratrol is a key ingredient in red wine that can prevent platelets in the blood from sticking together.
In turn, this reduces the chance of clot formation, as well as reducing the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Drinking Wine Raises Levels of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 are essential fatty acids for the body - but the body cannot make them on its own.
The acids can be found in fish, some plants and nut oils and wine.
A European study by IMMIDIET concluded that moderate alcohol intake is associated with higher levels of omega-3.
Their study is based on 1,604 citizens from three geographical areas: South-west London in England, Limburg in Belgium and Abruzzo in Italy.
Each participant underwent a medical examination and frequent questionnaires in order for IMMIDIET to gather their findings.
Drinking Wine Reduces Risk of Diabetes
Time Magazine recently published an article linking wine drinkers to a lower risk of diabetes.
The premise of the article is based on a new study published in the journal, Diabetologia.
The results of the study showed that those who drank 3-4 glasses of wine
per week were at a lower risk of contracting diabetes than those who drank
no wine or even just one glass per week.
Drinking Wine Cuts Risk of Cataracts
We are back to our old friend Resveratrol again!
The clinical trial which took place as part of the Reykjavik Eye Study determined that a moderate consumption of red wine (not white) can potentially lower the risk of developing cataracts by 50 percent.
The trial took place over 5 years, during which 846 people were monitored.
At the end, it was found that the monitored group could be broken up as follows: 318 drinkers and 528 non-drinks.
The group of 318 drinkers could be further broken down into 300 moderate drinkers and 18 heavy drinkers.
Based on these groups, they found that 32% of the non-drinkers and 22% of the drinkers had cataracts.
Once other factors such as age, diabetes, etc, were taking out of the equation, researchers found that they could confidently attribute the lower risk of cataracts to drinking wine.
Drinking Wine Slows Brain Decline
A recent article on the Lifehack website gave us the good news: a glass of red wine a day slows cognitive decline.
The Rush University Medical Center in Chicago recently released the figures from a study funded by the National Institute on Aging.
It studied elderly adults who followed a diet called MIND.
MIND is a hybrid Mediterranean with a focus on plant-based food and, you got it right, wine.
Of the 960 participants observed, a slower decline in mental ability was witnessed in those who followed the MIND diet.
Drinking Wine Boosts the Immune System
It can’t eliminate a bad diet and a lack of essential vitamins in your body, but drinking a glass of wine daily give a boost to your immune system.
Once more we look at the positive effects of Resveratrol, which trigger Sirt1, which in turn can potentially increase antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
According to Enzo, Resveratrol can also “rapidly stimulate T cells that could lead to the DNA damage response pathway.”
In addition, it can “can stimulate the metabolic reprogramming of T cells to enhance the immune response.“
Drinking Wine Reduces Risk of Depression
Spanish researchers analyzed 2,683 men and 2,822 women over a 7-year period from the PREDIMED Trial.
The participants were aged between 55-80 and had no history of depression or alcohol-related issues.
At intervals throughout the study, each participant was required to answer questions about their alcohol intake and their mental health so that their lifestyle could be analysed.
While it was concluded that those who drank 5 to 15 g a day of alcohol were less likely to suffer from depression, those who drank between 2 and 7 small glasses of wine a week were at an even lower risk.
So, have you changed your mind about that glass of wine?
—> Then make an instant purchase at our online store!
