Is wine a Healthy drink
Wine can contain over 1000 different chemical constituents, making it a very complex solution, generally consisting of 85-90% water, 10-14% alcohol and 1-5% phenolics. Over the Centuries wine became know as a medicine. (1). It was a more hygienic drink that the water of the day. It was not until modern time that full scale studies were done to answer the question of why people living in France, Portugal and Italy did not have the same mortality rate as the USA, Canada,and the Scandinavian Countries . Many researchers concluded that is was due to the wine consumption of France Portugal, and Italy were Vascular disease is comparatively rare.
Alcohol helps the blood flow more easy around the body and regular intake of wine reduces the level of harmful cholesterol in the body.(1) Now alcohol is only a small part of the story. SCientific studies have shown not all alcoholic drinks have the same
positive effect. Now please remember the more is not better for you. Too much alcohol can be harmful, you must drink with a responsible attitude.
What makes wine so good for you. Its the phenolics found in the grape. A phenolic compound in wine can be defined as one that is derived naturally from plant or microbial origin, consisting of a phenyl ring backbone with many substitutive possibilities. Some phenolics like coumaric, caffeic, ferulic and vanillic acids are relatively simple while others are more complex polymeric structures such as the tannins, which contribute strongly to the mouthfeel, quality and palatability of red wines. Phenolic compounds are commonly found in animal, plant and microbial tissues and contribute to defensive strategies as many are involved in plant protection as biologically active growth inhibitors of other living systems. In addition, they contribute to color and flavor of food items including wine . Since many have strong antioxidant activities, they also play important beneficial roles in mammalian systems. Red wine consumption has been clearly linked to reduced incidence of atherosclerosis and heart disease in humans, most likely due to the presence of numerous bioactive phenolic compounds in red wine products.
These compounds have a protective effect on the capillaries and on the collagen in the walls of the blood vessels. They hinder the
the aggregation of platelets and thus prevent the formation of clots. Phenolics also have powerful antioxidant properties, which inhibit degradation of the cell walls both in coronary arteries and in the brain. There is also thought that wine may be beneficial in the treatment of cancer and Alzheimer's disease.(1)
The majority of Phenolics in the grape are found in the seed and skin. The skin of the grape plays a greater role in the product of Red wine than white wine.
Let us also remember that the people of southern Europe eat far more fruits and vegetables and less red meats tan North Americans. Their over all diet is healthier than ours.
Enjoying your wine in a moderation and with a responsible attitude can contribute to a long and healthy life.
A little is good for you
Data from the Copenhagen City Heart Study, published in 1995, found that subjects who consumed wine daily were much less likely to die during the 12-year study period than abstainers or consumers of other beverages with alcohol.
While heart disease reduction and other health-related findings are applicable to all beverages containing alcohol, some research has found advantages specifically for wine drinkers. In a landmark Danish study published in 1995, researchers for the Copenhagen City Heart Study found wine drinkers to have clear health advantages over nondrinkers or moderate drinkers of other beverages. "Our finding, that only wine drinking clearly reduces both the risk of dying from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease and the risk of dying from other causes," wrote Morten Gronbaek and colleagues in the British Medical Journal, "suggests that other more broadly acting factors in wine may be present."
Dr Jean-Paul Brouster of France says cabernet sauvignon is the most healthy. He refers to the cabernet sauvignon of Bordeaux as containing the highest concentration of resveratrol and quercitin which are beneficial to the heart
Resveratrol,
the compound (?) in red wine that keeps your blood platlettes 'slippery' and keeps those old arteries
from clogging up, is found to be most prominent in Pinot Noir. Not only in Pinot Noir,
BUT Ontario Pinot Noir!
Linda Bramble
Finding, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry , contributes to the growing body of research that suggests moderate red wine consumption may help prevent a number of diseases, including age-related dementias , heart disease , and cancer . The researchers, led by neurobiologists Philippe Marambaud and Peter Davies , say their study also identifies a previously unknown chemical pathway that may one day be tapped to design new drugs to fight Alzheimer's disease
Canadian red wines may actually be naturally healthful. According to wine writer Natalie MacLean, cool-climate wines contain slightly higher levels of resveratrol, an antioxidant believed to help prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease.
May I suggest that now is a good time to take a walk to your local wine store and purchase a fine bottle of Canadian Wine. A glass or two with dinner could improve your health. It may even prolong your life.
"I have enjoyed great health at a great age because everyday since I can remember I have consumed a bottle of wine except when I have not felt well. Then I have consumed two bottles."
-A Bishop of Seville
"In Europe we thought of wine as something as healthy and normal as food and also a great giver of happiness and well being and delight. Drinking wine was not a snobbism nor a sign of sophistication nor a cult; it was as natural as eating and to me as necessary."
-Ernest Hemingway, "A Moveable Feast"
Red wine halves men's prostate cancer risk!
research by by Janet L. Stanford at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer " We found that men who consumed four or more glasses of red wine per week reduced their risk of prostate cancer by 50 percent. Among men who consumed four or more 4-ounce glasses of red wine per week, we saw about a 60 percent lower incidence of the more aggressive types of prostate cancer. The more clinically aggressive prostate cancer is where the strongest reduction in risk was observed," Stanford said.
News Report Sept 2007
In the last 10 years, thousands of research on red wine showed that moderate intake of this drink improves cardiovascular health. The cardio protective effect has been attributed to antioxidants present in the skin and seeds of red grapes
Based on the research experts advise that the antioxidants, called flavonoids, reduce the risk of coronary heart disease in three ways: by reducing production of low density lipoprotein (the "bad" cholesterol), by boosting high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the good cholesterol) and by reducing blood clotting.
Furthermore researchers have found that moderate red wine consumption may be beneficial to more than just your heart. One study found that the antioxidant resveratrol, which is prevalent in the skin of red grapes, may inhibit tumour development in some cancers. Another study indicated that resveratrol aided in the formation of nerve cells, which experts believe may be helpful in the treatment of neurological diseases like Alzheimer?s and Parkinson?s.
The most recent studies on red wine presented at the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) annual meeting, in Orlando, Florida by the Canadians show that Red wine polyphenols may help fight gum disease. V. Houde, M. Boisvert and their colleagues from University Laval in Canada investigated the role of polyphenols, including those from red wine, in scavenging free radicals released by immune cells stimulated with components of bacteria causing periodontal diseases. Free radicals are believed to be at least partly responsible for the development of gum disease and are generated by immune cells during periodontitis. In order to have healthy gums it is important to that free radicals are maintained at low levels. Their results indicated that red wine polyphenols significantly modulate several inflammatory components released by macrophages (a population of host immune cells) in response to bacterial stimuli.
There are also studies that show that wine drinkers have the lowest incidence of colon cancer, only 1 percent as against eighteen percent of beer drinkers and twelve percent in non-drinkers
1. Wine By Andre Domine,publisher Konemann 5th edition
