by Moe Zilla

Created on: February 02, 2008

There is scientific evidence that red wine is beneficial to your health.

In 2001 an article in "The International Journal of Epidemiology" reviewed numerous studies and concluded that moderate drinkers did have a lower incidence of heart disease than non-drinkers. Some studies suggested that all alcoholic drinks produced this advantage. (A 1994 article in the British Medical Journal reported the results of a 13-year study on over 12,000 doctors, and still concluded that "small amounts of alcohol are associated with a lower risk of death from ischaemic heart disease, and from several other causes.") One 1996 article in the British Medical Journal later compared wine directly to other alcoholic beverages, and concluded that wine was no better than other alcoholic beverages. But other studies argued that red wine did have some unique beneficial properties.

Researchers also warned that excessive alcohol consumption, beyond moderation, actually increased the risk of heart disease (as well as cirrhosis of the liver). But it turns out that fighting heart disease isn't the only health benefit offered by red wine. Red wine also contains high amounts of useful chemical compounds like catechins and resveratrol, which are anti-oxidants believed to be helpful in fighting cancer. Resveratrol, which is actually a form of estrogen, has been shown to inhibit the growth of cancer cells, and may even fight the formation of cancer cells.

Red wine has also been showed to lower levels of bad cholesterol while raising good cholesterol. And in January of 2008, researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia announced that red wine (as well as grape juice) may fight food-borne pathogens and bacteria.
(They recommended Cabernet, Zinfandel, and Merlot in particular.) The researchers conducted the same tests on white wines, but found only red wines produced these results.

Some individuals are genetically pre-disposed to alcoholism, and excessive alcohol consumption is a serious problem. But crusades against liquor must now contend with the additional scientific fact that moderate drinking of red wine really has been shown to have a series of specific health benefits.

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