Now I know that I am in danger of sending out mixed messages here, but drinking alcohol, in moderation may, (and I use the word ‘may’ advisedly) offer you some health benefits, especially for your heart.
However, it must be added that consuming too much alcohol may also increase your risk to health problems, damage your heart and other organs especially the liver. But a little, not a lot, might, just might have the advantage of some benefits including:
A reduction in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. The possibility of a decrease in contracting Diabetes. An increase in your libido. The prevention of contracting the common cold. Possible reduction of your risk of an ischemic stroke, a condition where the arteries to your brain become narrowed or blocked, causing severely reduced blood flow. And apparently it can even fight the chances of developing Dementia.
As you can see there is an awful lot of use of the word ‘possibility’ and every study I have scrutinised comes up with yet another wild declaration about the benefits of alcohol. However this time, unbelievably it looks as though drinking a glass or two of red wine might just help with our mental agility.
Despite their passion for all things butter and cheese, the French have a comparatively low rate of heart disease and this, during the 1980’s, resulted in the coining of a catch phrase known as the ‘French Paradox’. The diet and lifestyle in parts of France, especially in the south have much in common with other Mediterranean countries and with the introduction of fish high in omega-3 fatty acids coupled with fresh vegetables, may indeed also account for some added protection against the onset of early heart disease.
Studies have shown that drinking just one glass of wine a day does indeed have a beneficial effect on your health, but what size of glass? Experts are almost agreed that for women a glass containing 6 ounces of wine is enough, whilst for men the recommended intake is nearer to 10 ounces. This disparity is all down to how the body of either sex deals with the alcohol.
So, the question is, just what type or types of alcoholic beverage should I be drinking in order to achieve, any of these benefits to my health then Colin? Well, not neat alcohol for a start! Studies have suggested that red wine, particularly when drunk with a meal, offers you more cardiovascular advantages than either beer or spirits. In wine drinking countries the levels of heart disease were significantly lower than those countries that had a culture of consuming beer. However, it must also be noted that heart disease rates in Japan are lower than those in France, yet the Japanese drink a lot of beer and clear spirits, but hardly any red wine.
So back to the question, what type of wine should I be drinking?
Well, red wine is the answer!
Choose wines that are high in polyphenols, (plant compounds) and resveratrol, a compound that is claimed to have heart protecting and anti-ageing supplements, found in the skins of red grapes. This might help to explain why wines high in this organic heart protecting chemical are beneficial to your heart. Red grapes also contain antioxidants which can improve your cholesterol level and help you maintain a healthy blood pressure.
I would like to finish on one final benefit of the drinking of red wine. That red mouth that you get from consuming one or two glasses, also known as the Vampire grin, is actually good for your teeth. Spanish scientists dipped cultures of bacteria that are responsible for many dental diseases into various liquids and found that red wine was the most efficient at removing bacteria.
