Is alcohol good for you? The media can’t seem to make its mind up – one minute newspapers are promoting the health benefits of red wine, and the next, they’re denouncing alcohol as carcinogenic. So what’s the truth behind the headlines?
Unsurprisingly, it seems that alcohol is beneficial for your health – particularly red wine – when consumed in moderate quantities. You probably could have called that one, right? Here are the facts behind one of the most popular drinks in the world:
A Little History Of Red Wine
We’ve produced and consumed red wine for centuries. The first recorded instance of winemaking is in 6,000 BC. From documents and artefacts left behind, we can tell that both the Egyptians and the Ancient Greeks were big lovers of red wine. The Greeks adored it so much that they dedicated a god to this beverage: Dionysus (or ‘Bacchus,’ as the Romans called him).
In fact, wine was consumed widely throughout the ages, due to unsanitary water. It was considered safer to knock back a glass of red wine, even if you were a child!
Aging Wine
You can usually tell the age of a red wine by the colour of the body. As it counts off its birthdays, red wine (unlike white) loses, rather than gains, colour. Hold up your red wine against a white background – if it’s a deep purple, expect the beverage to be young!
The French Paradox
The French diet isn’t considered the healthiest, even if it’s renowned for its deliciousness. Generally high in fat, Parisians actually maintain relatively good cardiovascular health. How is this possible? Scientists have been puzzled by these findings for years, but many experts believe France’s bonne santé is down to the prolific consumption of red wine.
Health Benefits
Red wine is packed full of antioxidants. One of the most important of these is resveratrol – an anti-aging property which helps prevent damage to blood vessels and reduces bad cholesterol. It’s an all-round health booster.
How Much Should You Drink?
Drink too much red wine, and the health benefits will disappear. Instead, the alcohol will do more harm to your system than good. Although most countries struggle to reach an agreement about the recommended daily amount of red wine, in the UK, it’s suggested that men limit their intake to between 3 and 4 units a day, while women stick to 2 to 3 units.
To get a better picture of what that means when you uncork your evening bottle, a large 250ml glass of red wine roughly reaches 3 units, whereas a small 125ml serving equates to 1.5 units. As an approximate guideline, you’ll be safe with one regular glass of red wine for women and two for men.
This is great news for anyone who likes to relax with a splash of vin rouge after a long day at work, but don’t drink more than the recommended amount every day and avoid over-indulging. No-one should be living the Bernard Black life.
A Night Cap
Studies show that alcoholic drinks don’t aid sleep; they actually cause restlessness…except red wine! Thanks to the melatonin in this beverage, you can get a good night’s shut-eye. It helps to relax the body – hence that dozy feeling once you’ve had one glass too many!
Post composed by British writer Zoe for VivasWine.co.uk. Got a fact about red wine that we haven’t covered? Let us know in the comments!