How Wine Helps Your Health

You constantly hear a variety of differing information about wine being good for one thing or another, or how alcohol consumption is good in moderation. You may also hear that it is bad altogether. It's hard to keep the information straight and even know what to believe sometimes. Yet, despite all the different things you hear that conflict with one another, one thing to remember is that many doctors recommend that you drink a glass of wine a day, especially red wine.

Studies show that red wine is effective in helping lower your bad cholesterol and raising your good cholesterol. Most of these scientific studies reveal that while white wine may help a little with cholesterol problems, it is the red wines and the ingredients from the skin of the grapes that help the most. Cholesterol has a direct impact on your heart's functioning because as it builds up in the arteries of your heart, it makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood. Therefore, because red wine helps reduce cholesterol, it also helps your heart.

Wine has been known to also have a positive effect on certain cancers, especially red wine. Once again red wine wins out over white! Certain antioxidants in the skins and seeds of the grape, which are used in the making of red wine, as well as other chemicals in the wine, may give you some amount of protection against the development and progression of some cancers.

It has been shown that people who drink no alcohol have less brainpower than those who drink wine moderately. This was shown in a study done on women over 70. There is also one quarter less mental decline in those who enjoy wine than in those who avoid it. So to keep sharp as you age, many experts recommend a glass of wine a day.

If you are looking to reduce the amount of fat you use in cooking, wine may be a good substitute for cooking oil. Wine can be used as a cooking liquid in roasting, slow cooking and more. It also makes a flavorful addition to sauces and many other types of dishes. Adding wine intensifies the taste of food with adding extra fat, which is certainly bad for your health.

There are many other health issues that may be helped through the moderate drinking of wine. These include:

gall stones
blood clotting
kidney stones
bone density
high blood pressure

The key to using wine to help your health is to drink it in moderation. Every study that links wine and good health makes a strong point of mentioning that you should only drink between 1 and 3 glasses of wine a day. Some recommendations are on the higher end, while others are on the lower end.

Some top tips for health include:

maintain a reasonable weight
get exercise
keep stress under control
eat a balanced diet
drink wine in moderation

By following these tips you will likely live a long, happy and fun life. Cheers!