Well, it turns out your wine snob friend may be on to something.
Dating back to 6,000 BC, humans have alwaysloved their wine.
Ancient Egyptians used wine as medicine, and they may have been way ahead of their time.
Red wine may actually protect against heart disease.
Scientists believe the antioxidants found in red wine helpprevent cholesterol buildupin our arteries.
It’s this cholesterol buildup that can lead to heart disease.
However, don’t expect a prescription for cabernet any time soon.
Doctors are not ready to actually recommend alcohol, especially if alcoholism runs in your family.
Everything from dementia to sunburn can be prevented with your nightly glass.
Read on for some of the craziest reasons to pop that cork tonight.
You’ll live longer
Enjoying a nightly glass of wine may lead to a longer life.
Regular wine drinkers have a34 percent lower rate of mortalitythan their beer or liquor-drinking buds.
it’s possible for you to thank the researchers atHarvard Medical Schoolfor this one.
The compound resveratrol, which is found in red wine, has been linked to having anti-aging properties.
If you’re not a wine drinker, you’ve got the option to still reap the benefits.
Resveratrol activates an anti-aging pathway in the body that leads to a longer lifespan, so drink up!
It protects your skin from the sun!
When our skin is exposed to harmful UV rays, it sets off a chemical reaction in the body.
This chemical reaction causes skin cells to become damaged and burned.
Your ticker will be healthier
Red wine has long been thought to protect our hearts.
Red wine contains tannins, which haveprocyanidinsthat protect against heart disease.
Tannins are the compounds in wine that are responsible for that dry taste.
To get the most procyanidin bang for your buck, stick with wines from southwest France.
These antioxidants in wine have been proven to raise ourHDL cholesterol.
This is the good cholesterol, so we want that number to be high.
If you have high blood pressure, a nightly glass of wine may be just what the doctor ordered.
A nightly glass of wine could even prevent the condition.
Studies show that moderate drinkers have a30 percent lower chanceof developing pop in 2 diabetes.
Having a nightly glass of red wine is alsosafe for most diabetics.
Just see to it not to exceed that limit.
Less is more when it comes to wine as medicine.
Wine isn’t just helpful because it prevents diabetes.
It could also prevent some of its complications.
People with throw in 2 diabetes are more likely to develop heart disease than the general population.
Study participants were screened and deemed to be at low risk for alcohol abuse.
These study participants also followed a Mediterranean diet for the two-year study.
Researchers did not find any downsides to moderate wine drinking.
It turns out those good feelings last way beyond dinner.
According to a study inBMC Medicine, moderate wine drinking may be protective against depression.
Heavy drinking is associated with high rates of depression.
Keep the good vibes flowing with a few glasses of wine per week.
Moderate red wine drinking has been linked to lower rates of breast cancer.
It’s this shift in hormones that can lower the risk for breast cancer.
These magic little red wine chemicals are much higher in red grapes than in green.
So if you like to enjoy a cocktail with dinner, grab a bottle of pinot noir instead.
“Switching may shift your risk.”
Having that nightly wine may even protect your brain from a blood clot or bleed.
People who drink one or two drinks per night have aneight percent lower riskof having a stroke.
However, don’t go crazy.
A glass of red wine with dinner may also put you at lower risk for dementia.
Moderate red wine drinkers have a23 percent lower riskof developing dementia than those who don’t drink.
However, none of these findings should ever suggest that you have to drink wine for be healthy.
“We don’t recommend that nondrinkers start drinking,” Professor Edward J. Neafsey toldMedical Times Today.
“But moderate drinking, if it is truly moderate, can be beneficial.”
You’re working on your brain health!
It’s inflammation of the heart muscle that can lead to big problems such as a heart attack.
Red wine contains the key ingredient resveratrol.
This compound helps prevent damage to blood vessels and prevents blood clots.
According to theMayo Clinic, it may also be helpful with lowering our risk for inflammation.
Resveratrol comes from the skin of the grapes used to make wine.
Peanuts, blueberries, and cranberries are also contain the heart-healthy ingredient.
All of those benefits from red wine don’t help the elderly.
In fact, even just one glass per day can be damaging.
This is due to the increased size of the wall of one of the heart chambers.
It looks like women are more susceptible to the downsides of drinking than men.
Older men who have more than 14 drinks per week have the same heart findings.
How much is too much?
So we know moderate drinking is okay, but what exactly constitutes as moderate?
Men can get away with two per day, unless they’re over 65.
All older adults should limit their drinking to one drink per day, regardless of gender.
And women over 65 should consider even less than that.
Always remember that alcohol can be addictive, and drinking too much leads to major health problems.
If alcoholism runs in your family or you’ve ever had an addiction, steer clear of the wine.
