A Glass of Red Wine a Day Could Keep Heart Disease at Bay

Can a glass of red wine a day keep heart disease at bay? That is the question posed to many experts who have been studying why the French, with their penchant for red wine and saturated fats, have a much lower risk of heart disease than other cultures. Drinking alcohol is supposed to be bad for you and yet red wine, in moderation, is actually the opposite.

Red wine drinkers can rejoice in the fact that their glass a day to unwind or drink with food is still an o.k. thing. However, doctors are careful not to encourage anyone, especially teetotalers, to start the practice. They are afraid their encouragement would convince some people that drinking is all right when in actuality it is a problem.

Until recently, doctors were not sure exactly what it was in red wine that was so beneficial to heart health but now they have somewhat of an answer. There is a component of red wine called resveratrol which exists in the seeds and skin of grapes used to make the wine. In addition, they believe that the alcohol itself that is produced during the fermentation process has some special components positive for heart health.

Why alcohol can be beneficial

Several types of alcohol, not just red wine, can be beneficial for the heart. These alcohols have the ability to hinder the creation of blood clots. They increase the level of good cholesterol aka high density lipoprotein (HDL) while preventing damage caused by the bad cholesterol aka low density lipoprotein (LDL).

There are conflicting results in some research studies which show no discernible difference between red wine and other liquors and their beneficial effects on the prevention of heart disease. However, many people are encouraged by other research studies that show the benefits of drinking a glass of red wine a day ? healthier blood vessel walls that remember limber for the best blood flow possible.

A number of experts believe that polyphenols, antioxidants found in red wine, are the reason why the beverage is heart healthy. These antioxidants can be broken down into primary components ? nonflavonoids and flavonoids. The flavonoids can be found beer, wine and other types of alcohol in addition to foods like onions, chocolate, tea, apples, oranges and more. The nonflavonoids however have the resveratrol found in the seeds and skin of the wine’s grapes that are garnering the attention.

In several scientific tests, the reservatrol protected laboratory animals from diabetes, obesity and other factors that can contribute to heart disease. There has been no conclusive testing as of yet on humans to see if the same results would apply. What the experts do believe is that the antioxidants found in the resveratrol play a key part in protecting your body’s blood vessels, the prevention of blood clots and the reduction in LDL cholesterol.

If you are a liquor drinking person, then the glass of red wine a day is probably welcome. However, if you are a non-drinker, you can still get your resveratrol in other ways such as consuming blueberries, peanuts, cranberries and more. Don’t trust in the supplements that offer this antioxidant as manufacturing likely has leached a lot of the effective parts out in the process.