That glass of red wine justmight be what the doctorordered … at least for some.In the past 20 years, studyafter study seems to showthat red wines can helpimprove health.
The most popular reportwas The French Paradox in1991 done by the TV newsmagazine “60 Minutes.”MikeWallace reported that heartdisease in France was lowerthan in the U.S. despite thefact that the French dietconsisted of high proportionsof cheese, butter, eggs andred meat. Since then, there’sbeen even more researchresulting in good news forwine drinkers.
In November, Alzheimer’sresearchers at UCLA, incollaboration with MountSinai School of Medicine inNew York, discovered howred wine may reduce theincidence of Alzheimer’s.More on that in a minute.
An ingredient in red wineis resveratrol, a naturalchemical compound foundin grape skins. In a recentstudy, a team of researchersdiscovered that thecompound kept laboratorymice healthier as they aged,but it didn’t extend theirlifespan.
The study, co–authoredby Rafael de Cabo of theNational Institute on Aging,and noted resveratrolresearcher David Sinclairof Harvard Medical School,determined that resveratrolprovides cardiovascularbenefits, better motorcoordination, reducedcataracts, greater bonedensity and better kidneyfunction.
Dr. Richard Becker, a SanAntonio endocrinologist,advises some of his patientsdrink wine in moderation.Becker is also a wine maker.— He and his wife Bunnyown the well–known Texaswinery ‘Becker Vineyards’just east of Fredericksburg.
“A number of studies...have shown there are clearbeneficial effects fromdrinking wine in moderation… primarily a decrease incoronary heart disease. Ithink that’s accomplished bythe antioxidant,” says Becker.
Since the 90s study afterstudy has been released tobolster The French Paradoxthat points to possible newhealth benefits.
Travelers, listen up, ‘some’red wines have now beenfound to kill bacteria in food.A study at the Universityof Missouri found that redwines made from cabernetsauvignon, merlot, pinotnoir and shiraz can be potentbacteria killers. Not all redwines in the study wereeffective against bacteria.Zinfandel had no effect.
Back to the Alzheimer’sstudies. Another report,this one in the Journal ofNeuroscience raised thepossibility that moderateconsumption of red winemight actually improvememory.
Researchers in Ohio andNew Zealand tested ratscognitive ability after theywere fed moderate amountsof alcohol. Those rats — theones with moderate intakes— performed better onmemory skills than the ratswith no alcohol intake aswell as the ones with heavyalcohol intake. Researcherssaid the main point of theresearch is that light tomoderate consumption ofwine daily is not associatedwith long–term memorydamage. In fact, they said thatlight to moderate drinkingmight actually protect thebrain’s memory and mighteven protect against diseaseslike Alzheimer’s.
Becker stressed thatmoderation is the key — forwomen no more than twoglasses a day and for men, nomore than three.
Keep in mind these healthbenefits, so far, have onlybeen found in red wine. So,my best buys this month areall reds!
And again, all doctorsagree that moderation is thekey.
