General Health

Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of grape juice. The health effects of wine (and alcohol in general) are the subject of considerable ongoing study. Red wines from South of France and Sardinia Italy have been found to have the highest levels of procyanidins - the compounds in grape seeds responsible for making red wine good for the heart.

Nowadays, many studies investigated the benefits of red wine suggested that moderate amount of red wine lowers the risk of heart attack for people in middle age by 30 to 50 percent.

A 2007 study also found that both red wine is effective anti-bacterial agents against strains of Streptococcus. Besides, red wine is a rich source of antioxidants flavonoid phenolics, so many studies to uncover a cause for red wine’s effects have focused on its phenolic constituents, particularly resveratrol and the flavonoids.

But, what truly makes this red wine healthier? Are there any chemical substances that make it different from any other wines? Well, a team of scientists from Barts and the London School of Medicine, and the Queen Mary University in London, have found a mechanism which points to the benefits of red wine. Chemicals which work against it have been shown to reduce the rate of heart attacks in people who have heart disease. They tested extracts from 23 red wines, four white wines, a rosé wine and one red non-alcoholic grape juice sample, after finding that certain chemicals - called polyphenols - from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes decreased the manufacture of ET-1 in bovine artery wall cells.

On the other side, French scientists describe how high and low doses of polyphenols have different effects. They found that very high doses of antioxidant polyphenols shut down and prevent cancerous tumors by cutting off the formation of new blood vessels needed for tumor growth. And, one of the most rich source of polyphenols in red wine. Hmm..

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