Can drinking red wine ever be good for us?
We�ve been led to believe that an occasional glass of wine might be better than abstaining from alcohol altogether, but that might not be the case.
* This story is featured in BBC Future�s �Best of 2019� collection. Discover more of our picks.
Even though alcohol kills millions of people every year, humans have been imbibing for millennia. In the last few decades, wine, in particular, has gained a reputation for being good for our health. Red wine even has been linked with longevity and lower risk of heart disease.
But could wine really be good for us?
The first question, of course, is what we mean by �good for us�. Many people think of heart health when we think of the potential upsides of wine.
What is less well-known is that research has found strong links between alcohol and cancer. One bottle of wine per week is associated with an increased absolute lifetime cancer risk for non-smokers of 1% for men and 1.4% for women. This equates one bottle of wine per week to five cigarettes for men, or 10 for women.
�While a lot of work [has] been done to communicate the link between smoking and cancer, this is less so for alcohol because public health officials control messaging for smoking, whereas with alcohol, it�s largely been up to the alcohol industry to communicate this itself,� says Mark Bellis, director of policy, research and international development at Public Health Wales.
The idea that research shows a tipple can be beneficial dates back to the 1970s, when scientists found that French people were less likely to have heart disease than other populations, despite eating more saturated fat. There was a clear relationship between lower levels of heart disease and wine consumption. This came to be known as the French paradox � a conundrum which scientists are still untangling today.
We have since been led to believe that moderate wine-drinking can reduce our risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and weight gain.
�Early research found that moderate levels of wine consumption had a �J�-shaped curve effect,� says Helena Conibear, co-director of The International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research. �Small, regular amounts of wine seem to lead to longer life, better health and less cognitive decline. Since then, more than 1,000 papers have been published reiterating that.�
As a result, for a long time, the consensus was that abstaining from alcohol is unhealthier than consuming moderate amounts of alcohol (equivalent to one or two drinks a day).
But that �J�-shaped relationship between alcohol consumption, and death and disease, has come under criticism. It�s now widely understood that a lot of this data could be flawed: people abstaining from alcohol may be doing so because they�re unwell, rather than becoming unwell because they�re abstaining. (This challenge in sorting out cause from effect is the issue with many observational studies, which most nutrition studies are).
When controlling for this, one 2006 analysis of 54 previously published studies found no correlation between moderate alcohol consumption and lower risk of heart disease.
But in the years since, says Conibear, other studies have found the opposite. �Over the last five years, research has looked at confounding factors,� she says. �We know wine drinkers tend to be better off, better educated and have a less sedentary lifestyle � and adjusting for that, the J-shaped curve can�t be denied.�
She says researchers have got around this bias by using participants who�ve never drunk before, rather than those who used to drink and now abstain, as they�re more likely to abstain for health reasons.
In one 2019 study, researchers took a different approach to determine whether moderate alcohol intake really is linked to lower risk of heart disease. For 10 years, they followed more than 500,000 adults in China, where two genetic variants (ALDH2-rs671 and ADH1B-rs1229984) influence alcohol drinking patterns, rather than ill health. They also excluded people with poor health.
�Those with no defects can drink as much as they like,� says Zhengming Chen, one of the study�s authors and professor of Epidemiology, at the University of Oxford�s Nuffield Department of Population Health. �But those with a dysfunctional enzyme can�t tolerate alcohol at all,� he says.
The researchers also used Chinese women as a control group, because while many Chinese women can metabolise alcohol, many don�t drink for social, rather than health reasons, Chen says.
* This story is featured in BBC Future�s �Best of 2019� collection. Discover more of our picks.
Even though alcohol kills millions of people every year, humans have been imbibing for millennia. In the last few decades, wine, in particular, has gained a reputation for being good for our health. Red wine even has been linked with longevity and lower risk of heart disease.
But could wine really be good for us?
The first question, of course, is what we mean by �good for us�. Many people think of heart health when we think of the potential upsides of wine.
What is less well-known is that research has found strong links between alcohol and cancer. One bottle of wine per week is associated with an increased absolute lifetime cancer risk for non-smokers of 1% for men and 1.4% for women. This equates one bottle of wine per week to five cigarettes for men, or 10 for women.
�While a lot of work [has] been done to communicate the link between smoking and cancer, this is less so for alcohol because public health officials control messaging for smoking, whereas with alcohol, it�s largely been up to the alcohol industry to communicate this itself,� says Mark Bellis, director of policy, research and international development at Public Health Wales.
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The idea that research shows a tipple can be beneficial dates back to the 1970s, when scientists found that French people were less likely to have heart disease than other populations, despite eating more saturated fat. There was a clear relationship between lower levels of heart disease and wine consumption. This came to be known as the French paradox � a conundrum which scientists are still untangling today.
In the 1970s, scientists found that French people were less likely to have heart disease � which may be related to wine consumption (Credit: Getty Images)
We have since been led to believe that moderate wine-drinking can reduce our risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and weight gain.
�Early research found that moderate levels of wine consumption had a �J�-shaped curve effect,� says Helena Conibear, co-director of The International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research. �Small, regular amounts of wine seem to lead to longer life, better health and less cognitive decline. Since then, more than 1,000 papers have been published reiterating that.�
As a result, for a long time, the consensus was that abstaining from alcohol is unhealthier than consuming moderate amounts of alcohol (equivalent to one or two drinks a day).
But that �J�-shaped relationship between alcohol consumption, and death and disease, has come under criticism. It�s now widely understood that a lot of this data could be flawed: people abstaining from alcohol may be doing so because they�re unwell, rather than becoming unwell because they�re abstaining. (This challenge in sorting out cause from effect is the issue with many observational studies, which most nutrition studies are).
When controlling for this, one 2006 analysis of 54 previously published studies found no correlation between moderate alcohol consumption and lower risk of heart disease.
Studies have found that moderate drinkers have a lower risk of heart disease� but also that they don�t (Credit: Getty Images)
But in the years since, says Conibear, other studies have found the opposite. �Over the last five years, research has looked at confounding factors,� she says. �We know wine drinkers tend to be better off, better educated and have a less sedentary lifestyle � and adjusting for that, the J-shaped curve can�t be denied.�
She says researchers have got around this bias by using participants who�ve never drunk before, rather than those who used to drink and now abstain, as they�re more likely to abstain for health reasons.
In one 2019 study, researchers took a different approach to determine whether moderate alcohol intake really is linked to lower risk of heart disease. For 10 years, they followed more than 500,000 adults in China, where two genetic variants (ALDH2-rs671 and ADH1B-rs1229984) influence alcohol drinking patterns, rather than ill health. They also excluded people with poor health.
�Those with no defects can drink as much as they like,� says Zhengming Chen, one of the study�s authors and professor of Epidemiology, at the University of Oxford�s Nuffield Department of Population Health. �But those with a dysfunctional enzyme can�t tolerate alcohol at all,� he says.
The researchers also used Chinese women as a control group, because while many Chinese women can metabolise alcohol, many don�t drink for social, rather than health reasons, Chen says.
One study found the more people drank, the more likely they were to experience high blood pressure and stroke, but not heart attacks, over a 10-year period (Credit: Getty Images)
This time, the researchers found no �J�-shaped correlation. Instead, they found that the more people drank, the more likely they were to experience high blood pressure and stroke � and there was no reduced risk among people who drank one to two units per day. There was no association either way with heart attacks.
As a result, while there was a clear link between alcohol consumption and stroke risk, something in alcohol may protect us against heart attacks.
�Our study shows that alcohol definitely has a protective mechanism, because high alcohol consumption consistently increases blood pressure, but for heart disease the association is quite flat,� Chen says.
�So even as blood pressure goes up, there may be another mechanism that offsets increased blood pressure. But we don�t know if this protective mechanism is enough to offset high blood pressure.�
It�s important to note that the researchers converted all alcoholic drinks into standard alcoholic units, so the results aren�t specific to wine. However, Chen argues wine wouldn�t have shown any different results.
Red wine
But wine normally is considered the �healthier� option because of its antioxidants called polyphenols. Also found in fruit and vegetables, polyphenols reduce inflammation in the body, which is a factor for disease. There are ten times as many in red wine than white.
Alberto Bertelli, a researcher at the University of Milan's department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, has found that small amounts of wine can protect us against heart disease, partly due to the drink�s anti-inflammatory properties. He recommends no more than 160ml of wine a day (the size of a champagne flute), but only with a meal, Mediterranean style.
Research has focused on the polyphenol resveratrol in particular, a naturally occurring compound found in grapes� skin and seeds. Resveratrol is thought to protect against high blood pressure by dilating blood vessels.
But despite there being no resveratrol in white wine (even though it�s in white grapes), Bertelli observed the French paradox also applies to white wine-drinking areas in France. In other words, white wine may have the same health benefits � if wine has benefits at all.
�We found in white wine two compounds common to extra virgin olive oil, which is recognised as a healthy food, more or less in the same amount,� Bertelli says. These compounds, tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, have also been found to be protective against Alzheimer�s disease.
Most researchers, however, have found that the vast majority of any believed health benefits apply only to red wine.
Red wine may be good for gut health, which has numerous benefits to the rest of our body, including improved immunity and digestion, and a healthier weight. In a recent study, researchers studied the drinking habits of twins and found that drinking red wine could improve the diversity of bacteria in the gut, which is linked to better health. But the observed benefits on gut health were found with just one glass of red wine per week, and anyone drinking more than two small glasses a day was excluded from the study. (Find out how your the bugs in your belly could heal your brain.)
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191021-is-wine-good-for-you
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Margaret River Wines is definitely a white wine that will obtain you into the mood for a cozy evening by candlelight. It is a cold day in late summer season, when you open your container of Margaret River red wine and also the initial aroma that you notice is a great burned vanilla and dried out fruit note. The merlot has actually undergone some significant red wine aging and also it finds as a darker fruit that boosts the flavor. Despite for how long you sit there as well as consume it, it will certainly not get dull due to the fact that there is so much that enters into making this a glass of wine.
The fruit ranges for this white wine consist of: Damson Red, Merlot, Saaz Red, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot, Malbec, Chenin Blanc, and also Red wine. This red wine will certainly never ever go out and you can consume alcohol the entire container. It is a fantastic choice for those who enjoy to consume but do not such as way too much seasoning in their food.
The Wines at Margaret River consist of the following: Storage Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, Ghillie Marsala, Lambic, and also Zinfandel. This option of wines uses some intriguing styles of a glass of wine that you will enjoy. You will certainly find something for every person.
To obtain your hand on a few of these wines, you can check out the Bernard Wolfe Wines Web site or the vineyard's web site. When you go to the website, you will certainly find some fantastic suggestions for taking pleasure in as well as appreciating these fine wines. If you are trying to find a present for somebody, this would be a fantastic idea. All of the wine is made from grapes and has an unique preference.
This wine is one of the very best for blending in cocktails. There are a glass of wine pairings that match almost any type of sort of food, particularly the red wine. You might begin with a Rosemary Caesar Salad with a Vida Red Wine or Sea Salt and Garlic Carbonara.
You can add the merlot to a roast or pork cut, which would certainly be very yummy. The flavors would certainly match each various other. Another favorite is the Roasted Turkey with Sea Salt as well as Garlic Carbonara.
Annually, you can see the autumn shades in the foothills of the Mt. Grimaldi in the Margaret River area, the elegance of the location is incredible, additional resources it has sensational sights as well as the fall shades are absolutely gorgeous.
This region has numerous vineyards where you can find numerous wine enthusiasts like on your own. They offer different choices of wines as well as it is rather fascinating to learn more about all of the red wines and also the gewurztraminers, in addition to the cellar choices that are available.
A few of my favorite wines are Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio, Shiraz, and Shiraz. Every one of these wines are award winning as well as have won various awards. The wine enthusiasts will certainly usually develop originalities when they example the wine selections at the regional vineyards.
Because the wines at this vineyard can be had at a discount rate, there is no factor to quit at just 1 or 2 containers. You can constantly pick up a few containers and also select the merlots or the white wines that are available. All of the wines are readily available by the bottle or situation and there is plenty to select from.
It is easy to spend an afternoon appreciating among the wines. You can benefit from the beautiful surroundings as well as take pleasure in some wine-tasting experience by simply sitting in your very own living room furniture. It is perfect for unwinding after a long day at the office or delighting in a great glass of a glass of wine while eating dinner.
For several red wine enthusiasts, the dining experience is just as amazing. You might also intend to celebrate a special occasion by having supper at this vineyard. You will certainly like the great choice of food as well as you will certainly understand that it was well worth the visit.
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