People love wine mainly because it is delicious, but do they really know that wine, if consumed in moderation, can bring a lot of benefits to their health? More specifically, wine is considered primarily good for your heart, it helps you prevent blood clots, minimizes damage to blood vessels and eliminates harmful cholesterol. Overall, wine can keep heart diseases at bay, at least some of them. Antioxidants in wines are what make wines such a balanced combination of taste and care.
What is an antioxidant?
Antioxidants are beneficial substances (such as Selenium, Vitamin C and E and Beta Carotene), found in certain food items (and wine of course) which helps your body prevent such diseases as cancer, heart diseases and infection. Antioxidants protect your body cells from harmful substances such as free radicals which can cause cell dysfunction. Antioxidants can both strengthen and repair your body cells and boost your immunity to diseases.
Anti oxidant properties in wine
Studies across the world have established that Red wines are more beneficial than other wine variants (such as White wines). This means that either it contains more antioxidants or its antioxidants are more beneficial. Red wines comprise the following antioxidants:
Polyphenols: It strengthens and protects the lining of blood vessels in your body.
Resveratrol: It brings a host of health benefits which are varied, according to health experts. It prevents blood clots, strengthens blood vessels and keeps harmful cholesterol at bay. This prevents artery damage. It can improve the levels of high-density lipoprotein (commonly known as good cholesterol). Reservetrol also prevents obesity and diabetes, both of which can cause heart diseases. It can prevent or reduce inflammation and also help strengthen the overall immunity of your body.
Flavanoids: It can both contribute to the well being of your heart and the taste of the wines. Flavanoids help you prevent artery hardening (also known as atherosclerosis) and coronary heart disease. Both diseases are widely known to cause strokes and other complications in the heart.
Recommended wine intake
The widely acclaimed health benefits of wine must not encourage you to become a wine guzzler. Health experts have warned against the dangers of excessive drinking and the ill-effects of excessive drinking are well documented. So drink wine in moderation. Although you should consult your doctor for recommendations on dosage for you, generally, men should ideally be taking two drinks per day and women should be taking one drink per day. One drink is equal to 5 ounces or 148 mililiters of wine.
Wine is beneficial only if you drink it in moderation. Excessive intake of wine can give rise to a number of diseases. You must either drink wine moderately or stay away from it totally. If you are unable to manage the amount of wine you are taking, you may also consider other dietary options (such as fruits and vegetables) which are rich in antioxidants. If you plan to drink wine for its antioxidant properties, do not forget to talk to your doctor for necessary advice on suitability and dosage.
