Red wine and health – Moderation is the key

Red wine has become much more popular these days as its health benefits for the heart have become more defined.

The French have been drinking red wine for as long as they can remember and their diet consists of much fattier foods, yet their death rate from heart disease is 2.5 times lower than in the United States. Now this doesn’t mean that you should go out and drink 4-5 glasses of red wine. The average amount of red wine a male should drink per day is two glasses and one glass for females. It is important to note that if you over drink red wine (above the average), then the opposite affect can happen and you can actually make your heart disease worse.

What makes red wine gifts so great for the heart? The secret is in the flavonoids and polyphenols, which inhibit platelet clogging factors. There are flavonoids in grape juice however they are definitely not as potent as in the red wine. White wine also does not contain a large amount of flavonoids as they are not normally crushed with the skins of the grapes. Red wine also includes catechins (cancer fighting agents and help with heart health) , anthocyanins (powerful antioxidant that gives the grape the pigment) and tannins (suppress the peptide that causes artery hardening) that can prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and therefore prohibiting atherosclerosis.

Red wine can be incorporated into many recipes, especially in soups and sauces, but to receive the best health benefits from red wine you should just pour yourself a glass as the cooking can take away its properties.

Source: examiner.com