136) IS RED WINE GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH?

This image shows a red wine glass. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am not a wine drinker but I am able to finish almost one glass at social functions before I quit since that is when I will start feeling the buzz.  I hit my limit at one glass.  Is that one too many?

We get mix information about the subject of drinking wine.  It is good for your health.  No, it is an alcoholic beverage so it is bad.  Confusing isn't it?

What gives?

Excessively consumption of any kind of alcohol can definitely have an adverse effects on your health, career and relationships. But when you have had a very hectic day at the office and coming back home, you just want to unwind.  

So enjoying a glass of red wine after dinner can help you do that provided you don't finish the whole bottle in one sitting.  There are evidence that moderation consumption of wine may actually have health benefits.  Great news right?

But some health experts will continue to give warning about the dangers of alcohol consumption because it will affect your health and longevity.

Then why is there still interest in red wine?  

The answer lies in the fact that red wine possesses an antioxidant known as polyphenols.  They are said to protect your body's cells and tissues against free radicals that can cause cancers and heart diseases.

The following are documented benefits of Red Wine

Researchers have been studying the effects of drinking red wines for years and figuring out what is the ideal level of consumption that is beneficial for our bodies and what is not.

• Risk of death is reduced. When people drink Red wine in particular and in moderate amounts are less likely to die from any cause during any specified time period than non-drinkers. Why red wine?
• Again, it is the polyphenols in wine that is derived  from the colored skins of grapes, so red wine tends to have a greater concentration of polyphenols than white wine, according to Georges Halpern, MD, PhD, distinguished professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and a researcher who has studied the health benefits of wine. 
• 
  
• "It seems that these substances in higher concentration have a better protective effect on the cardiovascular system and possibly other systems," says Dr. Halpern.

Blood clot diagram (Thrombus) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

• Decreased risk of heart disease. Moderate consumption of red wine has also been associated with a reduced risk of dying from heart disease. This  may be due in part to the fact that alcohol has been shown to increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or "good" cholesterol. Red wine benefits may also include the reduced risk of blood clotting, which can lower your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

 Bottle, french cheeses and glass of Château Lafite Rothschild (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

• Protection from certain cancers. Laboratory studies have shown that the antioxidant compounds in wine may block the formation of cancers and slow the growth of cancerous tumors. One recent study found that alcohol consumption was effective in decreasing the risk of thyroid cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and renal cancer.

Ongoing studies are being conducted to determine whether red wine benefits might include prevention of other diseases and conditions — such as age-related brain changes and diabetes.

Good news so far but there is always two sides to a story and many shades of grey.  Let's look at the bad news of drinking red wine.

3 Reasons Not to Drink Wine

Drinking wine is not without potential risks. Researchers have found that wine consumption is associated with increased risk for:

• Certain cancers. In a study of middle-aged women in the United Kingdom, researchers found that even moderate consumption of wine and other alcoholic beverages significantly increased a woman’s risk of developing some cancers. Increasing levels of alcohol consumption have been associated with increased risks of developing oral cancers, throat cancer, esophageal cancer, cancer of the rectum, liver cancer, and breast cancer.
• Alcoholism. Some people when they drink wine or other types of alcohol can turn them into alcoholics very easily and to control the condition is very difficult.
• Cardiovascular disease. A moderate consumption of alcohol has been shown to protect our hearts but to drink 3 or more drinks per day showed to raise our triglyceride levels and may increase our risk of high blood pressure, heart diseases and stroke.

Moderation is still the key.  Go overboard with your drinking and you risk damaging your body, but drink in moderation — one glass a day for women and two a day for men — and you may enjoy its health benefits.

A little more good news.   If you prefer not to drink alcohol,  then you can get the same health benefits in wine from which the alcohol has been reduced to a significantly low level, Halpern says.  

Have a glass of wine 

And get to drink it.

If you want to unwind

Just no alcohol in it.

My next topic for discussion is, "Is Drinking Hot Water Good For You?"

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MY ART & POEM CORNER

The Squirrel said.

'Attention all! '

He stands tall.

On  a wooden fence, 

in suspense.

Their Squirrel Head, 

Their squirrel said, 

'My nuts are gone, 

My nuts are gone! '

Did you check under your bed? 

Another squirrel  joking said, 

'Of course I did! ' the squirrel said, 

'I am the Squirrel head'.

Maybe you forgot you've ate, 

Autumn now, it's not too late, 

Just look for more, Squirrel Head, 

An elderly wise squirrel said.

Copyright Philo Yan October 1, 2012

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

Until my next post,

Here's To Your Health!

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