The weather is warming up and that means it’s outdoor dining season! Love it. Every time I walk by an outdoor cafe I want to grab a seat and lounge with friends over multiple bottles of wine while we pretend to live in Europe without a care in the world. Ah dreams. Wine is just a perfect beverage with which to unwind.; sophisticated, calm, and tasty. What can I say, I like it!
After my office threw an spontaneous wine and cheese party, I thought it would be fun to look up some health benefits of red wine. Please note that any potential benefits obtained from wine would only be applicable when consumed in moderation. This means that only one or two 5oz drinks a night is optimal. Binge drinking is dangerous and may have a negative impact on your health. Please do not start drinking JUST to get these possible benefits, as that would be bad.
Feeding My Folks and I (Stephen) accept no responsibility if you chose to drink yourself into a stupor!
That said…. Cheers! :)
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10 Benefits of Red Wine
1. Antioxidants: Red wine contains antioxidants, which can slow the signs of ageing and prevent a bunch of illnesses (see the rest of the post).
2. Brain Power: A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, states that moderate drinkers scored better than other individuals on tests evaluating mental function. One drink a day seems to boost brainpower and moderate drinkers had a 23% reduced risk of mental decline compared with the non-drinking group.
4. Fights Dementia: Similar to boosting brain power, moderate consumption of red wine can have a long term benefit on your memory. It sounds counter-intuitive, but the resveratrol in red wine really does helps fortify your memories. That said, drinking too much will dramatically increase your risk for memory loss and dementia.
5. Healthy Heart: There’s a particular antioxidant in red wine called resveratrol, which protects your heart and arteries against the effects of saturated fat in your diet. Alcohol consumed in moderation will raise your levels of “good” HDL cholesterol, which prevents blood clots from forming as well as helps to protect your arteries from any damage caused by “bad” LDL cholesterol.
6. Live Longer: Wine drinkers have a 34% lower mortality rate than spirits/beer drinkers.
7. Prevents Cancer: Resveratrol used during radiation therapy can penetrate cancerous cells and induce apoptosis. Apoptosis is a type of cell death that occurs when the cell dies, dissolves and is removed by the white cells of your immune system. This is the safest way to remove unwanted cells from the body. Resveratrol also inhibits cancerous cells’ ability to remove irradiated particles, making radiation therapy more effective against cancer.
8. Protects Skin from Sunburn: The flavonoids in grapes can block chemical changes in the body associated with causing skin damage. A long term benefit from consuming red wine in moderation is your decreased risk to sunburns.
9. Strengthens Teeth: Red wine hardens tooth enamel (which helps prevent tooth decay), contains polyphenols (which help prevent gum disease), and it even reduces inflammation in the gums
10. Tasty: This last one isn’t a benefit per se, but it is worth mentioning! I like the taste of red wine and find that I drink it slower than other alcoholic beverages. Consequentially, this prevents me from drinking (and spending) too much at a bar.
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