Wine and Health
Introduction
Apart from the feelings of goodwill from receiving or sending a wine gift in the UK, the belief that wine can be of benefit to your health is not a new phenomena.
The Greek physician Hippocrates, in the 6th century, insisted that the consumption of wine was important to the practice of medicine and its therapy’s. It was as recently as the 18th century that physicians in general started to move away from advocating wine as a cure for some ills; however that is not to say that they still didn’t recommend its consumption either.
The temperance movements of the Victorian period did bring about a period during which the consumption of any alcohol, for any purpose, was deemed to be a bad thing all round and certainly some physicians prescribed to this view. It is fair to say that some people do still adhere to this thought and those who over indulge regularly in drinking wine should think on that point.
The French paradox
The single factor that re-ignited the debate as to whether or not wine was good for you health is known as the “French Paradox”, which was first publicised in 1991. A description of the French could run like this: "they smoke heavily, are lazy and eat a diet that is high in unsaturated fats." The same pejorative statement could also be applied to Americans. However, the French are two thirds less likely to have heart disease than the Americans are.
Why could this be? Do the French buy wine online, thereby reducing their stress levels? Does the French way of cooking have something to do with their wellbeing? The conclusion was that the French drink moderate amounts of wine regularly, especially red wine, whereas the Americans are more likely to drink beer or spirits. Studies have shown that the moderate drinking of wine, again notably red wine can reduce the risk of cardiovascular heart disease by 50%. By moderate amount this means three or four 125ml glasses of wine for a man and one or two glasses for a woman. It is also important to note that the risk of cardiovascular heart disease for heavy, or binge, drinkers is considerably higher and even those abstaining from alcohol have an increased risk. The reason for the benefit in drinking wine is in their flavanoids, which function as anti-oxidants.
Other benefits
Serious studies are under way to determine the extent to which red wine might help prevent the onset of some cancers. Phytochemicals are biologically active organic compounds found in plants and red wine is a rich source of them. Some particular phytochemical compounds, known as polyphenols, are attracting the interest of scientists.
Catechins are in the skin and seed of a grape. In the production of white wine both of these are excluded from the process. However, in the production of red wine the skin is left in the fermenting process. Therefore, the red wine soaks up the catechins and in effect concentrates them. The catechins are known to have strong anti-oxidanising powers and anti-oxidising agents are also great at reducing cellular damage by free radicals.
So, the risk of cancerous cells developing could be reduced by the presence of high levels of catechin anti-oxidants. Resveratrol is in the class of compounds that form part of a plants defence system against diseases and are present in grapes. Studies in animals have shown that reservatrol can inhibit the growth of cancer cells and boost the body’s immune system. T
hese findings are still drawn from studies. As yet nothing has been proven or fully established in terms of the preventative or healing properties of wine with regard to cancer. Also, the studies relate to components of wine, not necessarily drinking it.
Good news all round?
Reservatrol has also be shown, in studies, to block the protein that causes cystic-fibrosis, postpone and reduce the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and possibly avoid the risk of stomach ulcers. Unfortunately wine does also need to carry some health warnings.
For example if you do have stomach ulcers wine will aggravate them. If you have pancreatitis, urinary infections, epilepsy or liver disease you really must not drink wine. There is also an ongoing debate as to whether or not pregnant woman should drink wine or alcohol at all.
Some people buy wine online in the UK as they find using an online UK wine merchant actually reduces their stress level when buying wine, plus of course you can often get free wine delivery in the UK. For most of us the old adage of “eat, drink and be merry … ” is fine, but do be moderate with the drinking part of it. The consumption of large amounts of any alcoholic drink, including wine, will raise the risk of you suffering ill health.