February 18th is ‘National Drink Wine Day,’ which is a day each year that celebrates the love and health benefits associated with wine. Wine sales in the U.S. topped $72.2 billion last year, which was nearly a 5% increase over the prior year. Clearly, the United States is a nation that loves a good glass of wine and the more we learn of the health benefits, the more likely more of us will add a bottle to our grocery list.
Wine enthusiasts can rejoice as they celebrate this year, because the drink has plenty of research pointing to the fact that it’s a healthy beverage to drink in moderation. What exactly is moderation? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), moderate drinking is up to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. One drink is defined as being four ounces of wine. Further, they recommend that number is not the average consumed over a week, but the amount consumed on any given day.
Most people who enjoy having a glass of wine with their meal love the taste, but they may not be aware of the way it is helping their body. Here are some of the many health benefits that have been associated with making wine a part of your diet:
Heart health – the National Institutes of Health reports that studies have shown that adults who drink light to moderate amounts of alcohol may be less likely to develop heart disease than those who do not drink at all or are heavy drinkers.
Digestive health – the April 2017 issue of the journal Current Opinion in Biotechnology included the research results of a study on the health benefits of fermented foods, including wine. The study found that fermented foods, including wine, contain microorganisms of which some are genetically similar to strains used as probiotics.
Diabetes health – The April 2017 issue of the journal Endocrine reports that the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association recommend a Mediterranean diet for improving glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes. It also reports that studies show that higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with a 20-23 % reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The Mediterranean diet is one that includes drinking wine in moderation.
Brain health – Research out of the University of Rochester Medical Center in 2018 found that drinking wine in moderation was associated with reducing inflammation and helping the brain to clear away toxins, including those that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
So from the brain to your heart, drinking a little wine has health benefits for most people, so do your body good and enjoy a glass on National Drink Wine Day.
