Healthy Red Wine?

Ever heard that red wine can be good for you? Well there is now substantial scientific evidence to back it up. Clearly a bottle a day can't be a good thing, but a couple of glasses could be depending on the type of red wine it is.

There are a few theories floating around as to why certain red wines offer health benefits, mainly relating to reducing risk of heart disease. As with most medical studies there are many combinations of factors at play, for example level of stress, level of exercise and diet. Nevertheless, there is more and more evidence from reputable sources that certain red wines can indeed help maintain a healthy heart.

The common theory that the resveratrol compound found in red wine is responsible for its heatlh giving properties has been dismissed by Roger Corder in his book The Wine Diet. Corder informs us that despite being a powerful antioxidant, the level of resveratrol in red wine is so small that its effect would be negligible. Instead he points us towards a specific flavanol (polyphenol) group known as procyanidins as being the "healthy" constituent. Procyanidins are more prevalent in red wines produced from smaller, thicker skinned grapes with high seed content and made from traditional fermentation processes with long maceration times. Tannat, Nebbiolo and Cabernet Sauvignon are examples of such grapes. The high levels of procyanidins found in such wines, in very simplistic terms, increase the levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol which has the effect of reducing the oxidation of LDL ("bad") cholesterol, this being responsible for the eventual clogging of your arteries. A red wine with strong tannins is a typical indicator of the level of procyandins present. So the healthiest wines tend not to be the kind you can drink at leisure on their own, instead tend to be drunk with hearty meats or other rich foods.

The site WineHealth points you to where many of Roger Corder's recommended red wines can be sourced, classified by grape variety and Corder's "health rating".

The studies carried out on resveratrol are also discussed at How Stuff Works. Here you will also find an article on how moderate alcohol intake can reduce heart disease risk, however the article seems to conclude that any benefits of increased alcohol consumption can easily be outweighed by the negative effects, for example high blood pressure, obesity and liver problems. So the keyword is definitely moderation.