These days, it is more likely that people are more concerned about the foods they consume. But, a new trend seems to be that people are beginning to watch what they drink as well. Alcohol is the usual suspect for a lot of long-term health related illnesses and diseases, but is this bad reputation actually deserved?? Many wine enthusiasts will tell you about it, pointing out the "French Paradox" as evidence, but many people will ask, 'Is red wine good for you?". There is ample evidence and research that will conclude that, despite having alcohol in it, there are plenty of health benefits in red wine, such as lowering blood pressure, lowering the risk of heart disease, reducing cancer, and extending people's lives for years. By reading this article, you can decide if red wine holds any health-related benefits for you, so read on.To start off, no one should regards red wine is a miracle "cure-all" of all sorts of diseases. If you are going to discuss any health-related benefits, you must ensure that you limit your daily intake to no more than two glasses per day. If you limit your intake to this, you can definitely get all the health benefits. Lowering the levels of 'bad cholesterol', or low-density lipoproteins or LDL, in the body is one of the first benefits you'll notice. The reason behind this is because quality red wine contains numerous antioxidants called flavonoids. Besides this benefit, red wine also has the ability to increase the levels of HDL, or high-density lipoproteins or 'good cholesterol', which also leads to lower rates of heart disease.So how does this benefit your health? By lowering the levels of LDL and increasing the levels of HDL, fatty deposits in your bloodstream are lowered significantly. By doing this, the risk of a heart attack is also significantly reduced.Is a couple glasses of red only good for cardiovascular reasons? You might be surprised to learn that lowering your risk for heart attacks is only one of the health benefits that comes from a glass or two or red . Because it is fermented with the grape skins on, which results in high amounts of antioxidants, a substance called resveratrol is present in large amounts. Research into the effects of resveratrol has shown that the substance may be responsible for a reduction in the growth rates of certain cancerous tumours . Leading cancers, such as breast cancer and prostate cancer, could be lower by people adopting a diet that includes red wine. But it gets even better, as resveratrol might even have properties affecting the rate of nerve cell formation. If this is proven, including red wine in your diet may form part of the treatment for neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease.Even with this research, is there any proof of this working outside of the research lab? In reality, there is actual evidence outside of the lab of these benefits! Everyone knows that saturated fats are linked with heart disease, but people or cultures who consume a "Mediterranean diet", which is high in saturated fats, actually have a lower rate of heart disease. A higher rate of red wine consumption appears to be the main difference, but this might be the key factor. As previously mentioned, research seems to suggest that the lining of blood vessels is better protected due to the antioxidants in wines, particularly of red varieties. Therefore, by lowering the rate of heart disease and possibly reducing the chances of cancer, drinking moderate amounts of red wine could extend your longevity!The health benefits of red wine are well known and supported by a large section of the medical fraternity. Consuming a glass or two of red wine each day has been linked to a reduction in heart disease, and even has the possibility of lowering the risk of some forms of cancer. So the next time someone asks, 'Is red wine good for you?', you can safely answer with a resounding, "YES!".So open up a bottle of red wine and drink to your health!
