Ra 4 Food - Health and Nutritional Tips

For years we’ve been hearing that a glass of wine a day will keep you healthy, but is it true, and does it apply to any type of wine?

 Research has found that red wine in particular can lower the risk of heart disease, provide protection against stroke, pancreatic cancer and helps fight e.coli, salmonella and listeria.

 So which are the healthiest wines?

 It has been long acknowledged that red wine is good for the heart but some varieties are better than others. Many people believe that it’s the reversetrol – a powerful antioxodent that come from the skin of the grapes – that  provides the health benefit, but you have to drink vast amounts of red wine to reap any benefit on a daily basis.

 Far more important are polyphenols, the chemical compounds in grape skin and seeds. These are natural antioxidants which protect the membranes of each cell.Other important elements of red wine are procyanidins, which help to reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol and protect against hardening of the arteries.

 The Nuoro province in Sardinia and Mardiran in the Pyrenees are to wine growing regions that boast high concentrations of procyanindins. Wines from these area’s contain up to ten times more beneficial compound’s than there counterparts from South Africa, Australia an the United Sates.

 The main difference between white and red wine is how the skin of the grape is used. With red grapes, the skin is crushed along with the pulp but with white grapes the skin are separated.

 White wine contains potassium which may help lower blood pressure and contains other types of polyphenols which can help lower bad cholesterol.

 Last year, Italian scientists found that both red and white wines are effective anti-bacterial agents against strains of streptomorecoccus, which causes infections such as sore throats. The findings concluded that acids in the wine helped to destroy bacteria, but red was more effective.

 Scientists at the University of Milan believe because white wine contains the compounds tyrosol and caffeic acid, which act as anti-inflammatories and antioxidants, it could help prevent rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis.

 White wine is the preferred option for migraine sufferers since it is low in the headache-inducing compound tyramine, unlike many red and rosé wines.

 If taken as part of moderate alcohol consumption, rosé can also have its benefits. A recent Danish study concluded that people who drink up to two and a half bottles of wine a week - roughly two glasses a day - have a lower risk of premature death than those who abstain from alcohol.

 So it looks like red wine has the edge somewhat but like anything alcoholic, wine should be enjoyed in moderation. You may not want to drink two bottles a night but a small glass every few days may be enough to keep your ticker ticking.