Red Wine, Resveratrol And Health
Red wine lovers have plenty to be happy about; not just the fall grape harvest in a year which promises some very good wines from regions around the world (once they’ve had at least a year or two to age, of course).
As has long been known, moderate consumption of red wine is beneficial to your health due to a number of the compounds which are naturally contained in this beverage – so go ahead and pour yourself a glass to sip as you read; I’ll wait.
Nothing against white wine enthusiasts, but red wine is simply healthier, containing a number of substances which offer health benefits that are not contained in white wine.
Other than red wine’s well known cholesterol-regulating properties, there is something else which has gotten a lot of attention lately which is contained in that glass of red wine. Resveratrol is a naturally occurring compound produced by many plants, with red grapes being an especially good source.
Resveratrol is a substance which has antioxidant properties, helping to protect your body from the cellular oxidation damage caused by free radicals.
Since many of the physical effects of aging are due to the action of these harmful, unstable molecules, that glass you’re holding right now may actually be able to help you to remain feeling and looking just a little bit younger than that person across the room with a glass of Pinot Grigo in their hand (you can show them this article later if you’re feeling altruistic).
Other dietary sources of resveratrol include red grape juice, so even the abstentious among us can enjoy the health benefits of this plant compound. It’s also found to a lesser degree in blueberries, cranberries and even peanuts – though a glass of Barbera and a PBJ are probably not the best pairing you’ve ever had.
There are also plants which are not considered edible which are considered to be good sources of resveratrol, most notable white hellebore (which is the first plant which resveratrol was isolated from, all the way back in 1940) and Japanese knotweed, which is the source of the resveratrol used to make many of the supplements on the market.
If you’d prefer to take resveratrol which comes from your favorite vine, you’re in luck – there are also many supplements whose active ingredients are sourced from red wine. Resveratrol and supplements containing this compound may actually offer benefits other than their antioxidant action.
This substance is also known to have anti-inflammatory properties as well as having some promise for the treatment of diabetes and even prevention and control of some forms of cancer!
Unfortunately, you can’t get as much resveratrol as you might want to provide the maximum benefit through red wine alone; while you’ll of course want to keep drinking red wine in moderation, supplements allow you to get more of this health-protecting natural substance than you’d be able to take in through dietary sources. You already knew it was healthy as well as delicious, but red wine’s resveratrol content just made it an even more enjoyable accompaniment to your meals or while winding down at the end of the day.
