Is wine healthy?
This has been an ongoing debate for as long as I can remember.
If you watch the news, it pops up every other month as a short little segment saying this doctor did a study that shows wine helps fight cancer. Another says wine help fights heart disease; another shows a picture of a 100-year-old woman having a glass of wine saying she has had a glass a day since she was 12.
I have spent the last couple of months trying to find the truth to these questions. For the most part, there is some truth that wine can be good for you.
But what not everyone mentions is that it can be bad if abused.
Wine has many antioxidants, but the body does not use all of them. These antioxidants come mostly from the skin of the grape, which for the most part is thrown away after the wine making process. A lot of these antioxidants are believed to fight cancer.
Unfortunately, a lot of these cancer studies with humans are in their infant stages and need more time for conclusions.
Yes, in this aspect wine is good for you. However, you are probably much better off eating a spinach salad with vegetables.
But that’s no fun.
There is also the belief that wine can help your good cholesterol. Yes, that is a fact. In some cases, a glass of wine a day can boost HDL “good cholesterol” by 20 percent.
Red wines are also believed to be good for the heart, which is in fact true if used in moderation. It can also help blood flow in moderation.
But notice how I keep using the word moderation. None of these good things will help if wine or any alcohol is abused. It can actually work in an opposite manner if used in excess.
Alcohol carries a ton of calories, which is not good for the body or mental state of mind as many people worry about their weight. It also is very harmful to memory and has been linked to liver disease.
For the most part, your body wants to reject things that are bad for you. Alcohol is one of these things. Many doctors will tell you the good is outweighed by the bad when it comes to alcohol, and they might note that if you have never had an alcoholic drink, you are better off never starting.
But alcohol is like bacon — even though it is not good for us, when consumed in moderation, it is not going to kill us.
My overall conclusion is that wine is better for you than other alcohols for the most part, but is still not considered a healthy solution to any problems other then maybe a little stress. Enjoyed in moderation, wine can be enjoyed and it won’t harm the body.
But if you are having health problems, I recommend going to a doctor and getting help there before you start chugging wine by the liter to cure yourself.
