Red wine and something in red wine called red wine resveratrol might be heart healthy.
Right now there seems to be more hype than facts, regarding red wine resveratrol and its impact on your heart. More research needs to be done to determine the total health benefits of red wine resveratrol.
Red wine with it’s wine resveratrol, in moderation, has long been thought of as heart healthy. Wine made from red grapes has more red wine resveratrol and is considered the biggest component for the health benefits of wine. The alcohol and certain substances in red wine called antioxidants may help prevent heart disease by increasing levels of “good” cholesterol and protecting against artery damage.
While the news about red wine resveratrol might sound great, the key is, you have to enjoy a glass of red wine in “moderation” with your evening meal. You need to learn to use food and wine pairing for simple controlled wine enjoyment. Doctors are wary of encouraging anyone to start drinking alcohol or wine just for the red wine resveratrol health benefits. That’s because too much alcohol can have more harmful effects on your body than good.
Still, many doctors agree that something in red wine appears to help your heart. It’s possible that antioxidants, such as flavonoids or a substance called red wine resveratrol, have wine health benefits.
To learn more about red wine resveratrol visit the Mayo Clinic article on wine health benefits.
How is Red Wine with Wine Resveratrol Heart Healthy?
Antioxidants in red wine called polyphenols may help protect the lining of blood vessels in your heart. A polyphenol called wine reservatrol is one substance in red wine that’s gotten a lot of attention.
Red wine with wine reservatrol seems to have even more heart-healthy benefits than other types of alcohol, but it’s possible that red wine isn’t any better than beer, white wine or liquor for heart health. There’s still no clear evidence that red wine with resveratrol is better than other forms of alcohol when it comes to the heart health benefits.
Red Wine Resveratrol
Resveratrol in red wine might be a key ingredient in red wine that helps prevent damage to blood vessels, reduces “bad” cholesterol and prevents blood clots. Most research on wine resveratrol has been done on animals, not people. Research in mice given red wine resveratrol suggests that the antioxidant might also help protect them from obesity and diabetes, both of which are strong risk factors for heart disease. However, those findings were reported only in mice, not in people. Although similar evidence does not yet exist for people, a wide-range of resveratrol (or “red wine extract”) supplements are marketed, including capsules, liquids, and tablets.
In addition, to get the same dose of red wine resveratrol used in the mice studies, a person would have to drink over 60 liters of red wine every day.
More research is needed before it’s known whether resveratrol in red wine or reveratrol in general was the cause for the reduced risk.
Resveratrol in Grapes, Supplements and Other Foods
The wine resveratrol in red wine comes from the skin of grapes used to make wine. Because red wine is fermented with grape skins, seeds and stems longer than white wine, red wine contains more red wine resveratrol. Simply eating grapes, or drinking grape juice, has been suggested as one way to get resveratrol without drinking alcohol. Red and purple grape juices may have some of the same heart-healthy benefits of red wine resveratrol. But many researchers believe part of the red wine resveatrol might come from the seeds and stems not just the pulp.
Other foods that contain some resveratrol include peanuts, blueberries and cranberries. It’s not yet known how beneficial eating grapes or other foods might be compared with drinking red wine when it comes to promoting heart health. The amount of resveratrol in food and red wine can vary widely. But even the red wine with the most resveratrol still can not supply much resveratrol that is why red wine resveratrol supplemnets are becoming so popular.
With the large world market we have today, you want to buy resveratrol supplements from reputable companies such as Puritan’s Pride 
or Vitamin World.
Resveratrol supplements are also available. While researchers haven’t found any harm in taking resveratrol supplements, they are not sure what the right dosage should be. No one knows how much of the resveratrol in the supplements can be absorbed by your body.
Resveratrol supplements have been popular since 2006, after studies in animals showed ”life-extending” and “endurance-enhancing” effects, among other potential benefits.
Drink in Moderation — or not at all
Red wine’s potential heart-healthy benefits look promising. Those who drink moderate amounts of alcohol, including red wine, seem to have a lower risk of heart disease. However, more research is needed before we know whether red wine is better for your heart than are other forms of alcohol, such as beer or spirits.
Neither the American Heart Association nor the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommend that you start drinking alcohol just to prevent heart disease. Alcohol can be addictive and can cause or worsen other health problems.
Does Alcohol Help the Heart?
Various studies have shown that moderate amounts of all types of alcohol benefit your heart, not just alcohol found in red wine. It’s thought that alcohol:
- Raises high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the “good” cholesterol
- Reduces the formation of blood clots
- Helps prevent artery damage caused by high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the “bad” cholesterol
The problem is drinking too much increases your risk of high blood pressure, high triglycerides, liver damage, obesity, certain types of cancer, accidents and other problems. In addition, drinking too much alcohol regularly can cause cardiomyopathy — weakened heart muscle — causing symptoms of heart failure in some people. If you have heart failure or a weak heart, you should avoid alcohol completely.
If you have questions about the benefits and risks of alcohol, talk to your Doctor about specific recommendations for you.
RESOURCES
Resveratrol: Unleashing the Benefits of Red Wine
For more general information check out the Wine Health Benefits
See the Spanish Report on Wine Weight Gain
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