In the 1990's a news report, later titled the "French Paradox", was brought to the public eye after researchers discovered that the French who live on a diet of cheese, butter, organ meats, eggs and other cholesterol laden food had a lower rate of heart attack than in America. The results as to why this was so were very surprising to many: moderate and steady consumption of wine. How is wine good for your health?



Many believe red wine is better for you than white wine, because that is what early studies found. Skin from red grapes contained a powerful antioxidant called resveratrol, which was transferred into red wine during manufacturing. However, nowadays manufacturers are altering their winemaking processes for both red and white wine to boost health benefits.

Some of the more recent studies conducted from around the world have shown that wine can be a very powerful agent in helping prevent heart and lung problems and even strokes! In 2002 the American Thoracic Society found that the antioxidants from white wine helped improve lung function while in the same year the William Harvey Research Institute found that polyphenols in red grape skins helped keep arteries open and lowered the risk of strokes. University of California at Davis discovered in 1995 that coronary heart disease was reduced and research conducted in 2004 at the University of Ferrara in Italy showed that the elderly who consumed moderate amounts of wine had healthier blood vessels than those who didn't.

Aside from these benefits there are many others specific to men or women. For men, in 2004, the Worcester Medical Center in Massachusetts found that wine helped lower the risk of a heart attack for men with high blood pressure. The Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Australia in 2004 found that women who consumed wine had a lower risk of ovarian cancer and the Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology Unit, St. Thomas' Hospital in London discovered wine helped with stronger bones.

The key however is moderation. What is "moderation"? Studies have said that "moderation" is considered to be one or two glasses a day. Drinking more than this can be bad for your health and cause more diseases than prevent them. Wine does have a rather high calorie content which can put on the pounds if not consumed in moderation. But aside from just weight gain you risk far more serious health problems such as kidney and liver disease with over consumption.

So wine drinkers raise your glasses for a toast to the benefits of a glass a day!