We all love to have that glass of wine after a killer day at the office or when we prepare a nice dinner for our family and friends. If taken moderately, wine has various positive upsides such as it having the ability to relax the mind and improve one’s mood. If you are a wine fanatic, then you definitely know what we are talking about! In this article, we shall discuss some of the health benefits of wine and how this contributes to our health. It may actually be better than going to the gym!
Wine boosts the immune system
Drinking a glass of wine daily gives a boost to your immune system. Moderate alcohol consumption has the ability to fight infections and keep your immune system in check. Scientists have discovered that alcohol itself has protective qualities as ethanol boosts the effectiveness of vaccinations.
If wine is consumed in excessive amounts, this would defeat the whole purpose, as overconsumption leads to negative effects on our health, and would certainly not serve for an immunity boost.
Wine lowers cholesterol
Wine has the ability to lower your cholesterol levels without the need to change your diet. To begin with, cholesterol is a waxy fat-like substance that is found in all our body cells. Cholesterol is produced by our liver and it is also found in the foods we eat, such as meat and dairy products.
Resveratrol is thought to decrease the LDL in our bodies which is the “bad” cholesterol and increases the HDL known as the “good” cholesterol as this carries cholesterol from other parts of your body back to your liver. In this way, moderate intake of wine has the ability to eliminate the plaque being coated with our blood vessels. A study conducted by the American Heart Association found that a glass of wine a day can manage to increase your “good” cholesterol by around twelve per cent. Therefore, if you are having trouble to control your cholesterol levels, go ahead and sip a daily glass of red wine!
Reduces the risk of cancer
Studies have shown that wine can help in the battle against cancer. The risk of colon cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer can be reduced by drinking a glass of wine a day. Wine is full of antioxidants that attack nasty free radicals that may allow cancer cells to thrive. Red wine is especially beneficial as the resveratrol not only fights against heart disease but also against cancerous cells.
Studies have shown that with respect to colon cancer, moderate consumption of red wine can reduce the risk of colon cancer by half. Whilst with regards to prostate cancer men who consume roughly four to seven glasses of red wine per week have a fifty-two per cent less chance of being diagnosed with prostate cancer as opposed to those who don’t drink wine.
In terms of breast cancer, the red grapes which are used to produce wine have the ability to suppress the activity of aromatase. This is the enzyme used by breast tumours to produce estrogen known as the aromatase inhibitor. As a substitute for wine, women can eat red grapes.
Increases bone density
As we grow older, our bones deteriorate. Red wine is known to have high levels of silicon, which is great for our bone density. Like milk, wine contains calcium and this increases the density and reduces the chance of osteoporosis.
Do you know of any other health benefits of wine?
Me? it makes me happy!
