Useful properties of red wine. Last straw

The benefits of this intoxicating drink have been known since ancient times, and people have experienced its healing power throughout history. Is red wine healthy in the way they say it is, and what its benefits are, our article will tell.

What are the benefits of red wine

Red wine contains a lot of useful substances, the use of which has a beneficial effect on our health. The antioxidant resveratrol present in it, which comes from the skin of red grape varieties, reduces the risk of cancer by suppressing the development of tumors. In addition, it takes an active part in the formation of nerve cells, and therefore wine can be useful in the treatment of certain neurological diseases.

Useful substances in wine:

• Antioxidants;
• Flavonoids;
• Vitamins C, B, PP;
• organic acids;
• Manganese;
• Magnesium;
• Potassium;
• Phosphorus;
• Rubidium.

Is red wine good for the heart?

Moderate consumption of red wine is good for our heart, reducing the risk of coronary disease. This is due to the antioxidants found in the seeds and skins of red grapes. These substances reduce the amount of "bad" cholesterol, increase the number of high-density lipoproteins ("good" cholesterol), reduce blood clotting. The composition of red wine includes iron, the content of which is determined by the grape variety, its place of growth and storage conditions, so it is useful for anemia.

Is dry red wine healthy?

Dry wine contains very little sugar, and therefore it can be included in the diet of people with diabetes. It delays the entry of carbohydrates into the bloodstream, promotes the digestion of proteins and serves as a source of energy without requiring the production of insulin. Some varieties of dry red wine promote the release of the hormone of pleasure endorphin, energize, create a feeling of light euphoria, so the question “is it good to drink red wine?” you can answer "yes, but in moderation." Dry wine treats any beriberi.

Red wine should not be consumed when:

1. pancreatitis;
2. Liver diseases;
3. heart failure;
4. uncontrolled hypertension.

How much red wine can you drink per day without harm to health

In order for wine to bring only benefits, you need to drink it in moderation, which is one glass with a volume of two hundred grams. You should not abuse this wonderful drink, because any alcohol, if you drink it for a long time and a lot, destroys the nervous system, liver and pancreas.

How to choose a good red wine

Today, instead of high-quality good wine, you can buy its surrogate, made from powder. Most often, sweet and semi-sweet wines are counterfeited, the quality of which can first of all be determined by their color - the presence of orange hues should be immediately alarming, because this is one of the signs of low quality. On the walls of a glass with real red wine, so-called glycerin legs should form, indicating the naturalness of the intoxicating drink. It is more difficult to fake dry wine, so most often there is no doubt about its quality.

Healthy recipes with wine

Wine adds spice to dishes, makes them more appetizing and tasty.

Prunes with nuts in wine

Rinse thoroughly 500 grams of pitted prunes, peel 200 grams of walnuts and divide their kernels into 4 parts. Gently put the kernels inside the prunes, put them in a heat-resistant dish, add 200 grams of sugar and pour 500 ml of red wine. Put the dishes in the oven, preheated to 160 degrees, for 1 hour, then leave to infuse all night.

Cuban sauce

Melt in a saucepan 40 gr. pork fat, put finely chopped onion (100 gr.), 3 cloves of crushed garlic and fry them until golden brown. Then add 80 gr. pickled peppers, cut into strips, 89 ml of red wine, 160 gr. tomato paste, chopped parsley. Fry everything, then add 1100 ml of meat broth. Boil the sauce for an hour, and at the end add citric acid, pepper, 50 gr. sugar and salt.

If popular spirits were to compete among themselves in age, then the winner would outperform competitors by several centuries.

The oldest of alcoholic beverages is dry grape wine, about whose benefits there are legends and about the dangers of which opponents of alcohol do not stop trumpeting. Let's try to figure out which side is the truth on, and at the same time find out the effect of an intoxicating drink from grapes on the body of those who are worried about the figure.

What determines the "dryness" of wine

In order for the conversation to turn out to be substantive, and its results to be objective, first of all, it is worth remembering what dry wines are. The "dryness" of an alcoholic beverage is determined by its sugar content, not its color.

In other words, white, red, and even rosé wines are dry, in which the sugar capacity index is no more than 4%. In general, the lower the "sweet" value, the drier the wine drink. In addition, red wines are always sweeter in taste. So if you are disgusted by the too sour taste of dry white (and this is its characteristic feature), it is better to fill your glass with red.

The defining feature of the "dryness" of alcoholic beverages is their strength, that is, the percentage of alcohol in them. Dry wines are rarely stronger than 12%, and the alcohol they contain is of natural origin, formed as a result of chemical transformations of grape sugar.

Any product that enters our table should be evaluated not only and not even so much by its taste, but by how indispensable it is in the diet and whether it is useful at all.

As part of this post, we do not set ourselves the task of once and for all convincing the opponents of alcoholic beverages of the exceptional benefits of wine as such - the discussion on this topic has been going on for many centuries with varying success. We will connect to it for a short while, and then - in the aspect of the benefits and harms of exclusively dry wine.

As the main argument in favor of the value of this drink for health, you can use the results of 30 years of research by scientists from the universities of Paris and Bordeaux. Watching for such a long time tens of thousands of adult men who often missed a glass or two of wine from the dry category, they first started talking about the so-called "French paradox".

It turned out that the number of those suffering from heart and vascular problems among the “experimental” is almost 2 times lower than among those who denied themselves wine for many years. Yes, and cancer patients among them turned out to be 20% less, as well as diabetics, feebleminded. And this is despite the fact that French croissants, entrecote and other national dishes cannot be called dietary.

Benefits of dry wine

Having received such stunning results, scientists rushed to find out what is so rich in dry grape wine and what kind of component inhibits the development of the most terrible diseases of mankind.

If the technology for obtaining an intoxicating drink based on selected grape berries is not violated, it retains almost all the benefits inherent in the grape itself, that is:

• fructose, which "starts" our brain,
• antioxidants (they are the ones that prevent cancer cells from hosting),
• as well as a lot of minerals and trace elements, including iron, zinc, potassium.
• It also contains irreplaceable B vitamins, which help the body control metabolic processes and a lot of usefulness.

What was revolutionary, however, was the discovery not of these well-known wine components, but of resveratrol. A chemical component with such a complex name highlights dark grape varieties to protect against pathogens. It is thanks to him that red wine of “dry” varieties demonstrates high healing qualities.

Resveratrol blocks inflammation, prevents cancer cells from growing, and keeps blood sugar under control.

Another "plus" in favor of dry wine, as well as semi-dry, whose healing properties are very similar, is a hypnotic effect. Therefore, if you suddenly cannot fall asleep in the evening, you can treat yourself to a glass of good wine.

A great way to warm up quickly is to drink a mug of grog, that is, hot dry wine with spices. A red wine variety is best in this case. But slags are best removed from the body and white “cracker” copes with excess fats. He (in a diluted form) quenches thirst on a hot day much better than water.

Is it possible to drink dry wine while losing weight

Dry wine does not belong to high-calorie foods: in 100 ml of a drink with a strength of 12% - an average of 70 kcal.

So at a corporate party, where there is no way not to drink at all, a glass of wine is quite possible to afford. However, it is better to let it be a white grape drink - it has slightly fewer calories.

And, of course, during diet periods, you should not drink dry and any other wine every day. Firstly, these are extra calories, and secondly, increased appetite, which means that it will become much more difficult to fight overeating.

In general, the answer to the question of whether dry wine is healthy every day is rather negative. Even the greatest utility, if abused, can oversaturate the body and give the exact opposite of the expected effect. For example, “having sat down” on tomatoes, we can not only oversaturate the body with iron, but also “earn” an allergy. The same is with natural grape wine.

Harm and contraindications

Wine from grapes is useful, but the number of opponents of drinking it is stable. Why? The fact is that it can be not only useful, but also harmful, and even dangerous.

So, the answer to the question, is it possible for a nursing mother to dry wine, categorical and negative, as well as during pregnancy. The alcohol component acts destructively on the brain cells of the child in the womb and the newborn.

Of course, this does not mean that a sip of champagne on New Year's Eve will necessarily be fatal for the baby, but still it is better not to put the fragile health of the crumbs at risk and limit yourself to grape juice.

The tendency to be allergic to dark grape varieties is another argument in favor of refraining from wine therapy.

Cardiac ischemia, pancreatitis and other chronic heart and liver problems are incompatible - a strong argument against drinking wine, especially on a regular basis, since its effect on the body can lead to an exacerbation of diseases. The maximum that you can count on, and even then not in the acute phase of the disease, is occasionally one or two sips of a grape intoxicating drink as a tasting.

Wine, in addition to usefulness, contains ethanol - a substance that, accumulating, begins to poison the body, in addition to causing addiction. Therefore, the measure is the main criterion for the benefits of "wine therapy".

A safe norm for women is 1-1.5 glasses of good wine per day, for the stronger sex - 2 glasses maximum, and even then - not every day.

Finally - a few rules for the consumption of your favorite drink. Not everyone knows, but everything is simple: we take a bottle cooled to 7-10 degrees, open it, fill it up to half a tulip shape, shake it slightly and carefully inhale the aroma of the drink, enjoying its bouquet.

We often hear that red wine is good for you. for the heart, blood vessels, maintaining stable pressure and well-being. It is believed that this drink has an antioxidant effect, stabilizes the level of "good" cholesterol in moderation and protects the arteries from damage, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease. No matter how encouraging the stories about the beneficial properties of red wine in comparison with other alcohol, doctors do not encourage the use of alcohol: having slightly exceeded the permissible norm, it is easy to turn all the benefits into harm. However, a glass of wine with dinner is considered acceptable. We decided to find out what it can give, besides a pleasant taste and high spirits, and whether red has an advantage over other wines.

Let's say right away: it is difficult to give an unambiguous answer about the benefits of wine. Science does not yet have a sufficient amount of convincing data that would prove a causal relationship between moderate consumption of this drink and improved health. The opinion about the advantages of wine over other alcohol, as well as the greater benefits of red compared to white, is based on the following. Wine contains polyphenols, which may have an antioxidant effect and have a beneficial effect on the condition of the heart vessels. Particular attention is paid to resveratrol, contained in the skin of grapes. Since red wine requires longer fermentation to produce, red wine (particularly Pinot Noir, Shiraz, and Burgundy) does indeed have more resveratrol than white wine.

According to some studies, resveratrol can prevent vascular damage, lower levels of "bad" cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein), reduce blood clots and have an anti-inflammatory effect, maintain a healthy heart rate, and even have a beneficial effect on bone strength. About ten years ago, information spread that this substance even helps to slightly reduce the risk of certain types of cancer, but these data have already been called into question. Most studies on the effect of wine and its antioxidant content have been conducted in animals, and large-scale clinical trials have not been conducted to confirm the results in humans. Studies in mice have shown that resveratrol may reduce the risk of obesity and diabetes (two major risk factors for heart disease), and studies in pigs have shown that resveratrol may increase the body's ability to absorb insulin.

It is not known whether the same effects are achieved in humans, but in any case, to get the appropriate dose of resveratrol in wine equivalent, a person needs to drink more than 1,000 liters of red dry daily. In the form of dietary supplements, this substance is far from always well absorbed by the human body - however, doctors do not see any harm in their use for preventive purposes. But a recent Danish study found that resveratrol may reduce the heart benefits of exercise in older men.

White wine lovers claim that it has no less useful properties. They allegedly lie in another polyphenol - caffeic acid, which is contained in both white and red wine in approximately equal amounts (to be fair, we note that caffeic acid is found in all plants). According to studies by Italian biologists and physicians on mice and laboratory-grown human blood vessel cells, caffeic acid in very low doses actually stimulates the production of nitric oxide, and it lowers blood pressure, protects the myocardium from ischemia, and reduces the risk of diabetes and chronic kidney disease. So perhaps there is a very real benefit to a glass of wine - in this case, it doesn't matter what color it is.

Most doctors agree that a healthy limit is no more than one glass of wine a day for women.

It is important to know that the action of antioxidants in wine lasts a short time after drinking, and regular libations can turn into addiction: if instead of one glass at dinner, three are emptied, there is reason to think. Most doctors agree that no more than one glass (150 grams) a day for women of all ages and men over 65 is a healthy limit, and two glasses for other men. This difference is due to the fact that the average man weighs more and has more of the enzyme that breaks down alcohol. In order not to harm yourself, it is important to know not only your rate, but also the technique for producing the wine you choose: avoid drinks from “dry wine material” and wines of dubious production (you can read about how to choose wine).

Many people get headaches from red wine. In individual cases, this may be due to pressure in the vessels, but a number of researchers believe that sulfur dioxide causes headaches. It can get into the drink in many ways: when winemakers treat vineyards and winery equipment with it to combat fungi, as well as naturally through the roots of the vine from the soil, or during the fermentation process from yeast. In the latter case, the natural concentration of sulfur oxide is not enough to stabilize the wine, so producers add a preservative. In some countries, such as the United States, the content of sulfur dioxide must be indicated on the packaging, but if the information is missing, it does not mean that the substance is not in the drink.

A kind of way out of the situation was recently proposed by South African wine companies. According to their new technique in the manufacture of red wine (in particular, merlot), traditional preservatives like sulfur dioxide, which are associated not only with ordinary headaches, but also with allergies and migraines, are replaced by extracts of rooibos and honeyboss: they retain the aroma of wine well and themselves are rich in antioxidants. True, it is still difficult to say how much this is useful, and how much marketing.

When choosing the lesser of two evils, you should also pay attention to the nutritional value of wine: we do not advise scrupulously, but those who follow their physical form will not hurt to be aware of their exemplary. According to the British resource DrinkAware, a glass of red wine can contain as many calories as a serving of ice cream, but their number is largely determined by the strength (there are seven calories in a gram of alcohol). The nutritional value of a glass of dry rose can reach 200 calories, but champagne is lighter (a glass of white brut usually has about 90 calories). Dessert wines with 250-275 calories are best avoided: chocolate brownie may be less harmful than sweet alcohol. Alcohol is not a medicine, therefore, when deciding to drink, you should not look for excuses in its health benefits.

The world is divided into those who are calm about alcohol, and those who see it as an exceptional evil.

Whether dry wine is useful or harmful is the question over which spears break.

Dry wine - red and white

Dry grape wine is one of the most popular alcoholic drinks in the world. It is made from different grape varieties, so the taste, color and compatibility with the products of the wine differ. You can use it with cheese, meat, poultry, sweet fruits.

The strength of dry wine is average - from 9 to 13 degrees, calorie content - about 75 kcal per 100 ml of drink. A dry wine is a wine that has little sugar - up to 3 g / dm³. This is a feature of the production of the drink: in the process, sugar evaporates. Wine is produced by pressure of vine berries and fermentation of the resulting raw materials.

It is believed that red wine is made from red or black grapes, while white wine is made from white grapes. In fact, dry white is often made from pink or red varieties, but without the skin. It is the skin that colors the drink, and the grape pulp itself, full of juice, has a light color.

Is it possible to drink dry wine without fear of harming your liver, heart, hormonal system? It is possible if there are no chronic diseases. Scientists believe that the daily norm for a woman is no more than one and a half glasses of wine with a volume of 125 ml. Men can drink 2 of the same glasses a day. But weekly you need to give your body a rest from alcohol: at least two, in extreme cases, one day, do not drink wine at all.

Benefits of dry red wine

Long-term studies of the benefits of dry red wine have shown that this drink really has almost healing properties. What are the health benefits of the drink? Here is a list of proven virtues of dry red wine.

1. Life expectancy is increased due to the content of resveratrol - a powerful plant substance-antioxidant. Some scientists believe that resveratrol is almost a panacea for all diseases, especially those associated with age. The substance is contained in the skin of grapes and its seeds, and therefore wine from crushed whole raw materials is more useful than made from pulp alone. In addition, quercetin, another natural antioxidant, has a positive effect on health.

2. The heart is strengthened, and the vessels retain their elasticity due to the presence of procyanides in dry wine - special substances found in wine tannins. In addition, scientists have found that if a person moderately, without exceeding the permissible norm, drinks dry red wine, then the risk of a heart attack decreases significantly.

3. Memory improves, especially short-term. In addition, wine has a positive effect on the areas of the brain responsible for emotions and the ability to perceive new information, that is, to learn.

4. Improves visual acuity, reduces the risk of developing age-related cataracts.

5. Reduced risk of cancer - again thanks to resveratrol. This substance blocks the degeneration of a cell into a pathological one.

6. The level of bad cholesterol also decreases. Completely healthy people who took part in one of the experiments, after drinking wine, found a drop in this indicator by 9 percent compared to their pre-experimental state. But for those who suffer from high cholesterol, its level fell by 12 percent.

7. Improves the condition of the oral mucosa, reduces the risk of developing caries. It turns out that wine destroys the bacterial flora that negatively affects the health of the oral cavity.

Let's remember the Middle Ages: wounds were cauterized with boiling wine to prevent blood poisoning. Wine was added to water to destroy pathogenic microflora. The benefit of dry wine is also that it prevents colds. Those who regularly drink a glass or two are less likely to get SARS and flu.

Benefits of dry white wine

A lot of good things can be said about dry white wine. It also has a number of useful properties that help prevent various ailments. The benefits of dry wine are as follows:

Disinfects water, destroying microbes, bacteria, pathogens of typhoid and cholera;

Helps to quickly recover from gastrointestinal disorders;

Prevents infection with hepatitis A and the five main types of influenza;

Prevents cardiovascular diseases due to the production of lipoproteins that increase the level of "good" cholesterol;

Helps to normalize the salt balance, which is important for frequent travelers;

Relieves depression by reducing stress levels;

Together with food, it helps to better absorb many useful substances contained in food, for example, iron;

Strengthens the immune system, prevents the development of beriberi;

Like dry red wine, it improves memory and thinking processes.

Dry white wine is useful as a prevention of Alzheimer's disease and the development of atherosclerosis. Another question is that you need to drink wine, and not tinted wine powder. Cheap drinks masquerading as wine only harm the body. Dry wine must be natural, made from grapes and labeled accordingly.

Which wine is healthier: red or white?

The answer to this question is quite simple. Either wine can be useful if it:

1. real, that is, made according to the correct technology from pure raw materials, and is not a wine surrogate;

Yes, there is a slight difference between the red and white varieties of dry drink. So, in red wine there is a little more of the unique substance resveratrol, but the key word here is a little (it is also present in white wine). Red wine has slightly more magnesium and potassium.

If we talk about the difference, then in red wine there is, for example, the coloring drink lutein, which is absent in white wine. In addition, red varieties are stronger than white varieties in degrees, and this makes the latter safer for health.

But by and large, there is no particular difference between dry wines, since the allowable amount reduces all the existing nuances to zero. The volume of 1-2 glasses is too small for the difference to be noticeable. So you need to drink the drink that gives you more pleasure. And the benefits of dry red or white wine are about the same.

Harm from dry wine

It is not necessary to take information about the beneficial qualities of wine as a recommendation for its use for preventive purposes. There are other ways to improve that should not be discounted.

The harm from dry wine can be considerable. The drink is especially dangerous in the presence of the following diagnoses:

Diabetes;

Gout;

Chronic diseases of the kidneys, stomach, liver;

Allergy to plant pollen.

When breastfeeding, wine is contraindicated, but when carrying a pregnancy, there is a certain period during which the gynecologist will not object to one glass in order to relieve the tone of the uterus. It is clear that a pregnant woman can drink wine only if the gynecologist allows it.

Do not risk your health with a tendency to hereditary alcoholism. It is dangerous to exceed the dose recommended by doctors or turn libations into a vicious system. Abuse will lead to damage to the liver, heart, destruction of the psyche.

Scientists put an end to the age-old debate about the benefits of red wine. Moderate consumption of this drink does more good than harm to the body, writes Aleksey Bondarev in issue 30 of the magazine. Correspondent dated August 2, 2013.

The French are one of the most patriotic nations in the world. No one so fiercely defends their culture and traditions from the invasion of globalism. And the French also defend the custom of accompanying every serious meal with a glass of wine very desperately. And there is something to protect against: for decades, doctors and nutritionists from different countries have attacked any attempt to prove that moderate drinking is not a hindrance to good health.

Now any patriot of the tricolor flag and the Marseillaise has a serious argument - a real shield with which to repel the attacks of skeptics who do not recognize the benefits of alcohol. The results of the largest study, which has been conducted for almost 30 years by scientists from the Universities of Paris and Bordeaux, have been summed up. They observed 35,000 men aged 40 to 65 and concluded that the healthiest of them were those who drank wine in moderation.

This is the first major and authoritative study proving that the notorious French paradox is a reality, and not a fairy tale from the realm of national color. This term in the middle of the last century was called the hypothetical positive effect that red wine produces, mitigating the harm caused to health by high-calorie and fatty foods.

Experts drew attention to the fact that the French are less likely than other Europeans to suffer from a number of age-related diseases (cardiovascular system, alimentary tract, etc.).

Experts drew attention to the fact that the French are less likely than other Europeans to suffer from a number of age-related diseases (cardiovascular system, alimentary tract, etc.). And this is despite the fact that French cuisine cannot be considered a model of diet. It includes quite a lot of fatty and fried foods, as well as sweets.

Scientists began to look for the roots of this paradox. However, the search was short-lived, since the only plausible explanation could only be the passion of the French for red wine, which contains an abundance of the substance resveratrol, which is attributed to a beneficial effect on health.

Since then, for several decades, red wine has been one of the most frequently discussed topics in medicine. Perhaps only coffee is discussed as passionately, says American physician David Hanneman, but in terms of the number of studies, wine is still in the lead.

According to Hanneman, the results of the studies can be divided into three groups. The former sing of the benefits of wine. The second say that there is a benefit, but insignificant. Still others argue that any alcohol is harmful in principle.

Every few years the pendulum swings in favor of one or another thesis. However, never before have such strong arguments been thrown into the scales as the data of studies in which tens of thousands of people took part, Hanneman notes. Now it will be more difficult for opponents of alcohol to prove their case.

French paradox

Experts from the Universities of Paris and Bordeaux claim that their work proves moderate wine consumption reduces the likelihood of premature death from diseases of the cardiovascular system by 40%, and from cancer by 20%.

“A glass of wine a day eliminates the need to visit a doctor,” the authors of the study paraphrase a well-known American proverb.

A 28-year French experiment shows that ingesting small amounts of red wine has a positive effect on most people, says Crane Stockley of the Australian Wine Research Institute.

This is not only about diseases of the cardiovascular system, but also about reducing the risk of diabetes, dementia and many other diseases that can significantly reduce life expectancy.

Moderate intake at regular intervals, albeit not every day, but during the week can be considered sufficient

“Moderate wine consumption is the key to good health,” says Stockley.

According to the expert, the data of the French study is the last straw in the cup of evidence for the benefits of wine.

“Moderate intake at regular intervals, if not every day, but during the week can be considered sufficient,” Stokely answers the question of how much wine you need to drink in order to feel its effect.

At the same time, wine in large doses immediately leads to the opposite effect, Stokely hastens to emphasize. There is one more caveat: the results of the study concern only adults; in adolescents, regular alcohol intake can adversely affect the formation of the brain.

It is also worth considering that drinking wine, even in small doses, can have a negative impact on the health of people who are already suffering from some kind of serious illness and taking medications. However, having made all these reservations, scientists are immediately ready to rush headlong into the maelstrom of enthusiasm about the benefits of wine.

“The point here is not that regular drinking of wine helps prevent any specific diseases,” Stokely explains, “but that it has a positive effect on a person’s diet and lifestyle.”

Time to scatter stones

However, regarding the benefits of wine for the prevention of specific diseases, researchers also have progress. An equally large-scale study, conducted by American scientists from Boston University together with their colleagues from the University of Rome, shows that small amounts of red wine reduce the risk of kidney stones, and also help to effectively deal with them if they do form. Therefore, red wine is the exact opposite of sugary carbonated drinks that promote kidney stones.

The study, which lasted eight years, included the observation of 200 thousand volunteers who reported to the doctors about what they drink during the day, and gave them their medical records. Thus, the authors of the experiment were able to compare certain drinks with the health status of their patients.

Those who prefer sugary drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, are 33% more likely to develop kidney stones than those who regularly drink red wine.

It turned out that those who prefer sugary drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, are 33% more likely to develop kidney stones than those who regularly drink red wine. Among other drinks that reduce the risk of kidney problems, scientists noted beer, coffee, tea and orange juice. However, none of them can match the effectiveness of red wine.

“It's all about oxolates, chemicals that are a common cause of kidney stones,” explains Gary Kurhan of Boston University, one of the authors of the study. According to him, regular moderate wine consumption leads to the removal of oxolates from the body, and not to their accumulation in the kidneys. It is likely that the fructose found in the wines contributes to this, although this remains to be determined in the course of new studies.

Miracle Component

Searches for explanations of the beneficial properties of wine often come across a long list of its components. Among them, fructose, organic acids, antioxidants, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc are usually distinguished. And, of course, vitamins B1, B2, C (all this applies to a greater extent to red wine and mostly dry varieties). However, in recent years, researchers have paid more attention to its other component - resveratrol, which is gradually becoming one of the most noisy subjects of controversy in modern science.

In red wine, on average, 0.2-5.0 mg / l of resveratrol (in white, its content is much lower). Once in the body of living beings, resveratrol has an antitumor and anti-inflammatory effect, lowers blood sugar levels.

While active resveratrol supplements have begun to appear on the market, some scientists praise this substance, others argue that it is useless. Only in the last two years, the number of large-scale studies, which were tasked with determining how positively this substance affects health and whether it can prolong life, is several dozen.

Once in the body of living beings, resveratrol has an antitumor and anti-inflammatory effect, lowers blood sugar levels.

In 2012, American doctors from the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit found that regular consumption of dry red wine can prevent hearing loss in older people. Naturally, thanks to resveratrol.

Norwegian scientists from the University of Trondheim published the results of their work, indicating that resveratrol can reduce appetite, which means that people who regularly drink red wine in moderate doses are less prone to overeating, and therefore to problems with the digestive tract and obesity. .

Their Dutch colleagues developed the idea: the results of their recent experiments show the benefits of resveratrol for digestion. Moreover, the benefits are very tangible - so much so that scientists in conclusion boldly assert: "One glass of red wine a day prolongs life by an average of five years."

Canadian pharmacist David Sinclair came to the conclusion that resveratrol has a positive effect on the functioning of mitochondria, the parts of cells responsible for energy storage.

But it was the study by New Zealand scientists from Otag University that made the most noise. On the one hand, their work showed that resveratrol has a number of useful properties, on the other hand, they learned that drinking red wine does not affect longevity.

The controversial substance has a beneficial effect on lower forms of life, experts say, but not on people. The authors of the work tested the effects of resveratrol on six types of living organisms. Various fungi supplemented with resveratrol actually lived longer. However, this effect was no longer seen in fruit flies and mice. Now preparations are underway to conduct experiments with people, scientists say.

A question of propaganda

New research has enough critics. As a rule, they argue that the positive aspects of drinking alcohol in the so-called moderate doses are offset by significant risks.

Talk about the benefits of alcohol, whether it be wine or other drinks, invariably leads to the threat of whitewashing the image of alcohol in the public mind, said Mike Daub, a professor at Curtin University in Sydney, Australia.

In fact, Daub believes, alcohol poses a serious threat both in the short and long term - both in the medical and social spheres.

Any publications about the benefits of alcohol based on various studies Daub calls alcohol lobby PR. Daub doesn't blame anyone directly, but says that in many cases, advocates of "scientific" evidence for the benefits of alcohol are directly connected to the alcohol industry.

Today there is a tendency to consider the level of usefulness of alcohol as zero, as is the case with nicotine.

The head of the Federation of Winemakers of Australia, Paul Evans, meets such criticism with hostility.

“Today, there is a trend towards treating alcohol as having zero health benefits, much like nicotine does,” Evans notes. “But there is also a huge body of evidence that wine in moderation can be part of a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.”

The presence of wine in the diet should be seen as part of a healthy lifestyle, but not as a main component of it, like the food you eat and the exercises you do in the gym, Stokely emphasizes. And wine should not replace either one or the other.

The cure for everything

Wine carries many dangers, like any other alcoholic drink. However, the list of its advantages is huge. Used in moderation, it is a versatile medicine

Useful properties of wine

Permissible daily dose - no more than 50 g

• Contains vitamins B2, B1, C, P, iron, potassium, magnesium, iodine, manganese
• Resveratol present in wine has an antitumor effect.
• Protects cells from the harmful effects of ultraviolet and X-ray radiation, which is useful for the prevention and treatment of cancer
• Contains catechins, which have antimicrobial activity and are useful for strengthening immunity
• Increases the level of high molecular weight lipoproteins in the blood, which remove low molecular weight cholesterol from the body, which serves as a prevention of atherosclerosis
• Reduces the number of fat cells in the body, protects against metabolic disorders, in particular obesity
• Polyphenols contribute to the regulation of blood sugar levels, which helps to avoid the onset and development of type 2 diabetes.
• Resveratol thins the blood and prevents platelets from sticking together, helping to prevent thrombosis
• Resveratol has an effect similar to the action of the hormone estrogen, being a natural biostimulant, and is useful for the prevention of certain estrogen-dependent diseases, in particular osteoporosis
• The high content of iron in wine, as well as the property of the drink to promote the absorption of iron from food, are useful for anemia, vitamin deficiency, and significant blood loss.
• A small amount of diluted hot wine with spices is useful in the treatment of diseases of the broncho-pulmonary system, such as pneumonia, bronchitis and tuberculosis.
• For some types of intestinal disorders and poisoning, the astringent and antitoxic properties of wine will be useful.
• Drinking wine before bed helps with insomnia due to its content of melatonin, the sleep hormone
• Increases appetite and stimulates gallbladder secretion, aiding the digestion of heavy foods, especially fats
• Contains substances that stimulate carbohydrate, nitrogen and mineral metabolism in the human body

Harmful properties of wine

• Harmful daily dose - more than 50 g
• Contains many allergens such as fruits, yeast, pollen, and histamines - compounds that cause hives, itchy skin, sneezing, bronchospasm and other allergy symptoms
• Sulfur dioxide, used in winemaking to inhibit the growth of wine yeast, can cause asthma attacks in asthma patients
• Red wine polyphenols may trigger migraine attacks in people prone to the disease
• With frequent use of alcohol, enzymatic metabolism slows down and the toxic breakdown product of alcohol - acetaldehyde - accumulates in the liver, which over time can cause serious diseases, including cirrhosis.
• Wine should not be consumed during pregnancy and lactation, since alcohol, entering the child's body, can cause irreversible damage to the cells of his brain and spinal cord

Data of the information and reference service of the Correspondent

This material was published in issue 30 of the Korrespondent magazine of August 2, 2013. Reprinting of publications of the Korrespondent magazine in full is prohibited. The rules for using the materials of the Korrespondent magazine published on the Korrespondent.net website can be found .