COVER Can wine be good for you?

Sometimes, there’s nothing quite like a glass of wine at the end of a taxing day. While you might not consider this to be a ‘healthy’ habit, there is a growing body of evidence that drinking a glass of red wine – in moderation – could be beneficial in various ways. Scientists have been talking about red wine and heart health for many years. It’s thought that the reduction in the likelihood of heart disease among red wine drinkers (known as the ‘French paradox’) is a result of resveratrol – an antioxidant found in grapes. A study on mice found it could prevent both age and obesity-related cardiovascular decline, as well as moderate inflammation in the heart.

Another reason for red wine’s hearthealthy benefits is its ability to lower cholesterol. That’s down to saponins – compounds found in the skin of grapes that dissolve during fermentation, and are believed to prevent the absorption of cholesterol. Red wine has between three and ten times the amount of white, with red Zinfandel coming out top. Further research demonstrates that one is the magic number – just a single glass of red benefits your heart and blood vessels.

And your heart is not the only organ to benefit. It might sound strange but your liver could also thrive on up to a glass of red a day. US research demonstrated a reduction in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, compared to those who didn’t drink at all. Meanwhile, research from last year found that people who drank red wine had better gut health, with a more diverse microbiome, than those who didn’t drink – as well as lower levels of obesity. Gut health is important for a well-functioning immune system as well as being connected to your weight and cholesterol levels.

But white wine enthusiasts don’t despair! White was found to be superior when it comes to healthy lungs, with drinkers able to expel larger volumes of air in a breath. Researchers think this is also connected to its antioxidant properties.

We’ll drink to that… but just the one glass!