There's a wealth of evidence that red wine can have many positive effects on your health when consumed in moderation. Packed with antioxidants, particularly resveratrol and flavonoids, red wine may help prevent heart disease and certain forms of cancer, as well as slow the aging process.
Antioxidants
Red wine contains many antioxidants, which protect the body against the damaging effects of free radicals. In particular, red wine has the antioxidant resveratrol, which is found in the skins and seed of the grapes. This antioxidant appears in high concentrations in red wine, as during the preparation process, the skins and seeds of the grape ferment in the grape's juice. In addition to protecting healthy cells from free radical damage, resveratrol is known as a phytoestrogen, which has similar chemical properties to estrogen. As such, moderate amounts of red wine can help protect against estrogen depletion.
Heart disease prevention
In a study conducted in 1992, Harvard University scientists concluded that the moderate consumption of red wine has positive effects on the cardiovascular system. They believe this is most likely due to the the antioxidants, particularly resveratrol and flavonoids, which are found in grapes. The antioxidants are believed to help raise the level of good cholesterol in the body (high-density lipoprotein -- HDL), lower the level of bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein -- LDL) and reduce blood clotting.
Helps fight cancer
There is also some evidence that the moderate consumption of red wine can help fight some forms of cancer. The can minimize the DNA mutations that can cause cancer, and obstruct the creation of new blood vessels that feed tumors. In addition, studies have shown that resveratrol can cause certain cancer cells to self destruct, most notably breast, skin and leukemia cancer cells, and it can suppress the growth of prostate cancer cells. Finally, resveratrol has been shown to inhibit the growth and spread of new tumors.
Slows Aging
Recently, there has been reason to believe that the resveratrol in red wine may actually slow the . Numerous studies on mice have shown that resveratrol may help tissue maintenance, and thus may help cut down on degenerative diseases. However, it is not yet evident how much resveratrol will cause this effect, nor that it will have this effect in humans.
Warning
Red wine has been determined to be beneficial only if consumed in moderate amounts. Too much red wine can increase your cancer risk and result in excessive weight gain -- not to mention raise alcohol abuse-related problems. The American Heart Association recommends that men should not have more than two glasses (4 ounces each) per day, while women should drink only one glass per day.
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