The Health Benefits of Drinking Wine…Loving Your Body

There are numerous benefits to drinking wine every day, in moderation.  When the medical studies first came out with this news, not surprisingly people were somewhat sceptical.  Drinking alcohol everyday was not something that was normally recommended by doctors or health care providers.  However, when drunk in moderation wine can provide benefits to the heart in addition to many other health advantages.

Flavonoids Love Your Circulatory System

The wine that provides the most health benefits is red wine or wines made with dark grapes.  Dark grapes contain a high amount of flavonoids.  Flavonoids can prevent the platelets in your blood from clumping.  This means you are much less likely to experience blood clotting, which can lead to strokes or heart attacks.

Flavonoids decrease the rate of circulatory system aging and also slow down the decline of immune system functioning that normally comes with aging.  Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatories.   Antioxidants slow down aging in the body by preventing free radical damage to arteries and organs.

Resveratrol Loves Your Overall Health

There are many other benefits found in drinking red wine.  The seeds and skins of grapes contain a substance called resveratrol.  This substance is also an anti-inflammatory element and is believed to contribute to an improved circulatory system.   Resveratrol is a non-flavanoid antioxidant which help arteries from becoming clogged.

Resveratrol is also being studied as a possible antioxidant which can assist in weight loss programs and for the control of diabetes.  There is also continuing research into the ability of resveratrol to reduce the risk of certain types of cancer and cataracts and even brain functioning.

The reason red wine has a much higher level of resveratrol than white wine is due to the fact red wine is fermented with the skin throughout the entire fermentation process.

Red Wine in Moderation Loves Your Heart

Alcohol can contribute to a healthy heart when used in moderation.  Medical studies have shown that small amounts of alcohol can provide important health benefits that include the following.

* Protection against low-density lipoprotein cholesterol damage to arteries
* Increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels which prevents bad cholesterol build-up
* Contribution to a reduction in blood clotting

Defining Moderation

The definition of moderation is as follows:

* Women - one glass of wine per day
* Men - two glasses of wine per day

Drinking too much wine or getting inebriated only serves to negate these benefits as well as potentially being harmful.  The health benefits of wine are enhanced when the wine is included in an overall healthy lifestyle.  You should eat a low fat diet and get regular aerobic and non-aerobic exercise.

Taking care of your health is important if you want to live a long and healthy life.  The power of antioxidants is already proven through research.  Since red wine contains a high level of these powerful disease and aging preventers, it only makes sense to include regular consumption of wine in your program, in moderation.