Not many of us can resist the allure of an occasional glass of a deliciously rich and velvety red wine.
More so if it is the absolutely divine Australian Shiraz! There is a lot of conflicting information on whether drinking wine is good or bad for health.
Just like the interminable debate over the health benefits of coffee and tea, wine too has had its share of dissidents over the years.
It has swung back and forth from being extremely good for health to not so great for health and has now finally settled into a state of neither here nor there.
For hundreds of years, red wine was a form of medicine that acted as a digestive aid, as a remedy for lethargy and diarrhoea, and as a pain killer especially in relieving childbirth pains.
It was also used topically as an antiseptic to treat infected open wounds.
It is, in fact, considered the oldest recorded medicine in the history of mankind.
It was only much later in the mid nineteenth to early twentieth century that wine was thought to be not so beneficial to health and that it may even have some ill effects.
This was due to the extensive research done at that time into the effects of alcohol on the human body.
Recent research, however, revealed the benefits of a phenolic compound, Resveratrol, that is present in fairly large quantities in the skins of grapes.
Resveratrol acts as an anti-oxidant that can prevent damage of cells.
However, a large percentage of this compound does not get into the blood because it stays inactive in the liver and in the gut.
So, experts advise a very slow sipping of red wine, allowing it to remain in the mouth for awhile before swallowing.
This helps it to be absorbed through the mucous membrane of the mouth resulting in very high blood concentration levels of Resveratrol.
"The Australian Wine Research Institute advocates the moderate consumption of wine, but does not recommend that abstaining individuals should commence consuming wine to benefit their health.
Consuming wine more than moderately increases the risk of both short- and long-term harm to health.
" - Australian Wine Research Institute.
Red Wine taken in moderate quantities marginally reduces the risk of cardio-vascular diseases by impeding formation of blood clots in the arteries.
It is also said to be generally favourable to overall mortality.
So the key to enjoying your wine lies in moderation.
Moderate consumption could mean on an average about 4 ounces of wine.
But this could vary depending on genetics, gender, age, body build, and weight.
Other aspects like pre-existing illness and medication, and whether intake of wine is accompanied with food, etc, play a role in determining what is 'moderate' for each individual.
And what is moderate for a man could very well be excessive for a woman as women tend to absorb alcohol much faster than men.
The next time you reach for your Shiraz, pause to assess if you are within reasonable limits or if you are downing one too many.
Tease your taste buds with a little Shiraz everyday and you can maintain good health and vigour for a long time.
Indulge them too much and you could have trouble on your hands!
More so if it is the absolutely divine Australian Shiraz! There is a lot of conflicting information on whether drinking wine is good or bad for health.
Just like the interminable debate over the health benefits of coffee and tea, wine too has had its share of dissidents over the years.
It has swung back and forth from being extremely good for health to not so great for health and has now finally settled into a state of neither here nor there.
For hundreds of years, red wine was a form of medicine that acted as a digestive aid, as a remedy for lethargy and diarrhoea, and as a pain killer especially in relieving childbirth pains.
It was also used topically as an antiseptic to treat infected open wounds.
It is, in fact, considered the oldest recorded medicine in the history of mankind.
It was only much later in the mid nineteenth to early twentieth century that wine was thought to be not so beneficial to health and that it may even have some ill effects.
This was due to the extensive research done at that time into the effects of alcohol on the human body.
Recent research, however, revealed the benefits of a phenolic compound, Resveratrol, that is present in fairly large quantities in the skins of grapes.
Resveratrol acts as an anti-oxidant that can prevent damage of cells.
However, a large percentage of this compound does not get into the blood because it stays inactive in the liver and in the gut.
So, experts advise a very slow sipping of red wine, allowing it to remain in the mouth for awhile before swallowing.
This helps it to be absorbed through the mucous membrane of the mouth resulting in very high blood concentration levels of Resveratrol.
"The Australian Wine Research Institute advocates the moderate consumption of wine, but does not recommend that abstaining individuals should commence consuming wine to benefit their health.
Consuming wine more than moderately increases the risk of both short- and long-term harm to health.
" - Australian Wine Research Institute.
Red Wine taken in moderate quantities marginally reduces the risk of cardio-vascular diseases by impeding formation of blood clots in the arteries.
It is also said to be generally favourable to overall mortality.
So the key to enjoying your wine lies in moderation.
Moderate consumption could mean on an average about 4 ounces of wine.
But this could vary depending on genetics, gender, age, body build, and weight.
Other aspects like pre-existing illness and medication, and whether intake of wine is accompanied with food, etc, play a role in determining what is 'moderate' for each individual.
And what is moderate for a man could very well be excessive for a woman as women tend to absorb alcohol much faster than men.
The next time you reach for your Shiraz, pause to assess if you are within reasonable limits or if you are downing one too many.
Tease your taste buds with a little Shiraz everyday and you can maintain good health and vigour for a long time.
Indulge them too much and you could have trouble on your hands!
Source...