While not only delicious and refreshing, wine can also help you live a long and healthy life. When consumed in moderation, wine can help fight cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis. The Columbia Distributing blog is here to outline some known wine health benefits to help you make the most of your favorite beverage.
Promoting a Healthy Heart
Studies have been conducted showing that people who drink wine in moderation experience reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. Tannins in red wine contain procyanidins, which are key in the battle against heart disease. Drinking wine dilates arteries, which facilitates blood flow and lowers your risk of blood clots. Heart attacks are 30% less common amongst people with high blood pressure who drink wine, compared to those who don’t drink.
This is common not just for heart attacks, as the mortality rate due to cardiovascular disease as a whole is much lower for wine drinkers. Drinking any type of alcohol lowers this risk, but the benefit is the most significant in people who consume wine.
Fighting Bad Cholesterol
Wine also clears your arteries by clearing your body of bad cholesterol, called LDL. This type of cholesterol builds up in your arteries and narrows the path for blood to travel, which can cause heart disease and stroke. However, there is good cholesterol, called HDL, which is boosted by drinking wine. HDL fights against LDL by removing it from your bloodstream before it has a chance to harm the lining of your arteries. Even if there is still LDL remaining, the phenol compounds in wine have also been found to help limit the effectiveness of the bad cholesterol damaging your blood vessels.
Defending Against Cancer
Wine is packed with antioxidants, many of which help prevent several different types of cancer from growing in your body. Here’s a quick rundown of all the cancer types that wine helps protect against.
- An antioxidant called resveratrol has been shown to fight against the growth of liver cancer cells
- Resveratrol and quercetin, which is found mainly in red wine, team up to limit the growth of oral cancer cells
- A study over a four-year period found that moderate wine consumption can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 45%
- Phenol compounds may prevent both breast and prostate cancer cells from growing
In general, these effects are found to be greater in red wine, so the next time you’re ready to pour a glass, reach for a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Pinot Noir.
Keeping Bones Strong
One health benefit of wine that may surprise you is the effect it has on maintaining strong and resilient bones. In fact, studies have shown that wine drinkers have a lower risk of osteoporosis, which is caused by calcium loss in your bones. Women who drank one to three glasses a day were found to have a greater bone mineral density than nondrinkers or heavy drinkers. While women generally experience osteoporosis more often, these findings were similarly reflected in a study of men. Middle-aged men from 54 to 63 years old who enjoyed one or two drinks a day had a higher level of bone mineral density compared to nondrinkers in one study.
Everything in Moderation
Wine has been discovered to lower your risk of heart disease, fight against certain cancer cells and maintain strong and healthy bones. But, these health benefits are only effective when wine is consumed in moderation, so make sure to limit yourself to one or two drinks a day to reap the greatest reward. Now that you’re ready to make a positive lifestyle choice, contact us at Columbia Distributing to see how we can assist you, or check out the extensive selection of beverages we offer.
DISCLAIMER – This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.