Welcome to this week’s post, brought to you by wine! I love wine, and lately I’ve heard so many contradictory things about how wine is great for your heart or how it gives you cancer or this or that–so I decided to do some research for myself and find out what science has to say.
Red vs White Wines
Red
Pros:
Red wine is generally considered to be the healthiest of the options for wine drinkers. Reds contain high amounts of silicon, which can help improve bone density. The reservatol found in red grape skins is also a moderate blood thinner, and can help break up blood clots and prevent strokes. Red wine is particularly good for cardiovascular health and can prevent heart disease and cancers. Red wine boosts omega-3 fatty acids, promote healthy blood vessels, and even helps improve and maintain brain function!
Cons:
As with all alcoholic beverages, wine contains some risks. Consuming alcohol in large quantities often reverses many of the health benefits provided by moderate amounts, and provides additional risks of addiction, depression, and other diseases. Most of the health benefits of wine are linked to reservatol, which can be taken in supplement form or attained from berries, so there’s probably better ways to get those benefits.
White
Pros:
Wine is delicious! But beyond that, there are also some health benefits to consuming white wine in moderation. Drinking white wine can help improve cholesterol levels, improve lung function, and contains higher levels of antioxidants than its red counterpart.
Cons:
White wine contains more sugar than reds, and also often have a higher amount of sulfates that can upset stomachs and leave those sensitive to them with a nasty headache. White wine also tends to be subtler in flavor, so it’s easy to accidentally drink more than you intended, and consuming too much alcohol of any kind can contribute to cirrhosis of the liver, the skin condition rosacea, weight gain, and other ailments.
So the conclusion seems to be that while red wine delivers the more significant benefits, white wine isn’t too shabby either. You can technically get those same health benefits other ways, but life’s short, right? Why not enjoy it? Remember to drink in moderation and to never drink and drive. Stay safe, raise a glass, and happy holidays!
