Wine and health, moderation is key

In this article I will consider the link between wine and health. I will share some health facts about wine that devotees of the Neo-Prohibitionists movement seem to omit from their narrative.  

The French Paradox

In November 1991 the late, respected journalist, Morley Safer asked a question of his 20 million viewers on the American television programme, 60 Minutes. Why is it that French men eat more fat, smoke more, exercise less than American men and have 40% less heart disease than American men?

At the time the reason for this was still obscure but the rest of Safer's story alluded to one's alcohol consumption, especially red wine consumption. With this revelation, a link between wine and health was suggested and wine sales (especially red wine sales) shot though the roof.   

The concept of the 'French Paradox' was born.

A cartoon from this time in the New Yorker magazine showed a man drinking a glass of red wine whilst speaking on the telephone.  When asked what he was doing he answered, 'Not much - Just flushing out my arteries.'  

The Magic of Resveratrol

One of the magical antioxidants present in wine is resveratrol.  Resveratrol was first identified as early as 1939.  Perhaps spurred on by the 60 Minutes story, a year later, in 1992, two researchers at Cornell University, Siemann and Creasy, discovered the presence of resveratrol in red wine and the rest is history.

Resveratrol is found in the skins of grapes, especially grapes from cold, marginal climates. Climates where the grapes are exposed to various fungal diseases.   Resveratrol helps protect the grapes from fungal infection.

During wine production resveratrol is leached out of the red grape skins during maceration. White grapes have the same amount of resveratrol, but rarely receive a maceration regime. So it is red grapes and thus red wine where the lion's share of resveratrol can be found.

Explore our range of red wines

For anyone who does not consume alcohol, resveratrol is also found in red grape juice, blueberries and cranberries. However, resveratrol in the presence of alcohol has been proven to be much more bioavailable and thus more efficacious in promoting heart health and the link between wine and health.  

Resveratrol also promotes the body's production of high density lipoproteins and simultaneously suppresses the production of low density (bad) lipoproteins in the blood. It's been said that one's ratio of low to high density lipoproteins is key to heart health and the NHS has recently adopted this measure for cholesterol health.  

It seems the perfect ration is 3 to 1 i.e., three low density to one high density. However, other factors such as diet, smoking and one's weight should also be taken into consideration when calculating heart health.

Health Benefits of Wine 

Here are some other amazing (and proven) benefits of wine and health:

The Milk of Old Age

Moderate consumption of wine is considered one to two 4 ounce (118 ml) glasses per day. Preferably with food. It's been said that wine is “the milk of old age.”  This is because wine contains small amounts of glycerine.  Moderate wine consumption adds glycerine to ones bloodstream, but going over the moderation limit quickly ruins glycerine's affect. Glycerine has been shown to keep arteries more supple as we age.

Heart Health

It's been known for decades that the “Mediterranean diet” with fish rich in omega-3, less red meat, lots of vegetables and moderate wine consumption promotes heart health.  Moderate drinkers suffering from hypertension are 30% less likely to have a heart attack than non-drinkers and have 30% less chance of developing Type 2 diabetes. Along with resveratrol wine also contains procyanidins, which protect against heart disease.   

Antixoidants

When one consumes red meat, carcinogenic molecules (N-Nitroso compounds and others) are released in the stomach and intestine. Scientists knew about antioxidants in red wine but didn't fully understand where antioxidants performed their magic in the body.  Recent research has revealed that antioxidants oxidize (neutralize) carcinogenic molecules directly in the stomach. So if you love a charbroiled steak as I do, please, “Drink a little (red) wine for thy stomach's sake and thine oft infirmities.” as St. Paul wrote to Timothy.

Another Big Win for Wine and Health

Ingestion of alcoholic beverages concomitant with consumption of contaminated oysters. Beverages containing 10% or more alcohol have been shown to have a 95% success rate (confidence interval) in preventing seafood borne Hepatitis A.

I love raw clams and oysters but always have a glass of wine with them just in case.

At our restaurant years ago, we had to keep the tags from shellfish containers for 90 days after serving. Shellfish contamination is a serious matter and any disease incidents had to be investigated by authorities. Thank goodness we never had an incident in 12 years of operation.

The Negative Side of Wine and Health

The World Health Organization (WHO) have recently made a blanket statement that wine causes cancer. Perhaps excessive consumption may lead to certain types of cancer but this statement flies in the face of studies showing moderate wine consumption (especially red wine) reduces the risk of colon cancer by 45%. Also, red wine reduces the risk of breast cancer by 32%. Again, I am speaking about “moderate” wine consumption of one to two 4 ounce (118 ml) glasses per day.

I've shared a few benefits of wine. However, the Neo-Prohibitionists are not entirely wrong. Hospital admissions see the devastating effects of excess alcohol consumption.  As we know, five alcoholic drinks per day is classed as "binge drinking". Perhaps you've heard the old saying, “excess is the death of pleasure.”

The American performer Mae West famously said, “too much of a good thing is wonderful.” Mae West lived to the age of 87, so I don't think she was talking about 'too much' alcohol.

How do we know when one's consumption is hitting the limit: there is a point where the average person's liver becomes overwhelmed and stops processing alcohol.  After this limit the alcohol simply 'pours over' into one's bloodstream commencing inebriation. Research has shown the amount is 0.042 milligrams of alcohol per decilitre of blood. Depending on one's weight and sex, personal calculation will tell you when too much alcohol is ... too much.  

Thomas Jefferson, third president, a great wine connoisseur, and wine advisor to the likes of George Washington and John Adams wrote this to Hyde de Neuville in 1818: 

“… no nation is drunken where wine is cheap; and none sober, where the dearness of wine substitutes ardent spirits as the common beverage.  … It's extended use will carry health and comfort to a much enlarged circle.”   

I'll drink to that.

Sources:  FoodandWine.com, American Heart Association