Wine is a vice—often used as a treat at the end of a long day, or a splurge.
But wine, especially red wine, could be keeping you healthy. Recently linked to impressive health benefits, the evidence keeps piling up. Too much, of course, is never good. However, too little doesn’t stack up either. According to science, moderate wine drinking is just what the doctor ordered.
It’s good for your heart. Wine has cardioprotective benefits. A nightly glass of red won’t replace the need for a healthy diet and balanced exercise routine, but it could be the extra boost your heart needs. Moderate red wine intake has been linked to reduced mortality caused by heart health issues as well as limiting heart damage after a stroke. We have the antioxidants found in wine to thank, especially resveratrol.
It improves cholesterol. Scientific studies have shown that moderate consumption of red wine increases good cholesterol (HDL) and lowers bad cholesterol (LDL).
Wine keeps the mind sharp. Alzheimer’s Disease has no known cure, but researchers have found that downing a glass of red wine now and again could help keep the illness at bay. It’s even been suggested as treatment because of resveratrol’s role as a neuroprotectant and anti-inflammatory.
Red wine helps manage diabetes. For a disease that comes with a long list of foods and drinks you can’t have, it sure is nice to see something as delicious as red wine in the “can have” column. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that red wine helped to slow glucose traveling through the small intestine, preventing the dangerous sugar spike diabetes sufferers experience.
It aids in weight loss. Wait, what? I thought drinking alcohol helped pack on the pounds. As it turns out, piceatannol, a compound found in grapes and other fruits, destroys fat cells during cell development.