Wine is one of the finer things in life, if you’re a connoisseur then knowing every fact and tidbit about wine may come as second-nature to you. For myself and many others though, the basics are a start. I’m the type of person that has alcohol on rare occasion, a sip of it here or there. A few times a year at most, so i’m no expert in the best microbrewery’s or the best local craft beer.
Alcohol is not new in terms of being apart of mankind. It is estimated that fermented beverages were around as long as 10,000 years ago based on the stone age jugs found from that time period that may have been used for this purpose. Countries such as China, Georgia, Egypt, Mexico and Sudan have been thought to be fermenting alcoholic beverages for 1,000 years or more.
There must be a reason for fermenting a beverage to create a beer or wine. Many nutritional supplements contain alcohol to help the body absorb the nutrients better. With that in mind, a good, high quality organic alcoholic beverage such as red wine does have it’s own health benefits.
6 Health Benefits Of Red Wine:
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Red Wine Supports Healthy Weight Loss:
A study from Harvard tracked 20,000 women for 13 years and found that women who drank two glasses of wine a day were less likely to be obese than those that did not. A study from the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry focused on understanding how red wine can support healthy weight loss and how grapes effect the body. They found that mice given red wine grape extract stored less liver fat and also had lower blood sugar levels. They believed that the acids in the grapes delay and slow the growth of fat cells. A glass of red wine a day helps you maintain a healthy weight!
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Supports Brain Health:
Did you know that the resveratrol in red wine helps to help memory function? it also helps to protect against Alzheimer’s Disease. The antioxidant resveratrol protects against cell damage and prevents age-related mental decline.
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Supports A Fit Physique:
Resveratrol is also great for heart-health! It actually helps improve physical performance and muscle strength. It actually mimics cardiovascular enhancements similar to exercise! If you miss the gym one day just drink a glass or two of red wine to receive similar benefits! It’s not the same as actually moving your body and exercising, but still beneficial and great to enhance your exercise efforts.
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Red Wine Treats & Prevents Cancer:
Beyond resveratrol red wine also contains an antioxidant known as quercetin. Quercetin is an antioxidant that works against cancer cells according to the American Cancer Society. Believe it or not it actually helps induce cancer cell death, specifically in colon cancer. Quercetin can also be found in onions. This is great for both preventing and treating cancer through diet.
- Lowers Heart Disease And Stroke Risk:Red wine contains beneficial resveratrol and quercetin but it also contains a compound known as tannins. Tannins are polyphenols in red wine that cause the color to be red, tannins contain proanthocyanidin — this is known for protecting against heart disease. Resveratrol is also beneficial to help remove chemicals responsible for causing blood clots, which is the primary cause of coronary disease. Just having red wine once a day cuts blood clot-related stroke rates by 50 percent.
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Red Wine Promotes Longevity:
Red wine must be the healthiest form of alcohol overall because red wine drinkers have a 34 percent lower mortality rate than beer or vodka drinkers, according to a study lasting 29-years! Resveratrol is the main polyphenol in red wine that could be responsible for its longevity benefits, but it could also be because of quercetin and tannins paired together.
Organic red wine is recommended as it is healthier, and free of pesticides and some potential preservatives.
Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/davedugdale/5096953439
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