subject: California Wine Can Be Good For You [print this page] Although California wine has only been in the spotlight a short time compared to European options, California Cabernet Sauvignon has certainly claimed a place among the greats, no less so for the health benefits of red wine. People have known that wine is good for your health for decades, ever since somebody drew a connection between the legendary health of the French and their love of the beverage. When scientists uncovered details about the types of cholesterol, how those impact the risk for heart disease, and the way alcoholic drinks tend to improve cholesterol, they had the numbers to begin to support the theory that wine is good for the heart and general heath.
The secret to red wine's ability to help the heart is resveratrol, a chemical that increases the presence of beneficial HDL cholesterol and decreases LDL. And Cabernet Sauvignon, one of the many popular varieties of California wine, has some of the highest levels of this chemical, according to several important scientists. Red wine has other benefits that are slightly less tested, including higher levels of antioxidants and helping people sleep better. Of course, as with any alcohol, all of these benefits are dependent on how the drink is consumed.
Most studies suggest that people in or past middle-aged are the best candidates to derive heart health benefits from red wine. One to two glasses a day, less than 10 a week, is the suggested amount, and at that level it will begin to produce advantages over time. Drinking more than this can lead to liver problems, weight gain from excess calorie consumption, and the range of other risk factors that result from too much alcohol.
Detractors quickly point out that with the risk factors of drinking and remaining questions about the degree of benefit that drinking wine brings, we shouldn't be advising lifestyle changes for those who don't already enjoy wine. Studies have cast doubt about how important red wine is for changes in LDL and HDL levels. For example, adding 250 calories a day from a glass or two might actually be leading people to cut other unnecessary sources of calories from their diets, amplifying the supposed benefits of wine. Similarly, critics point out that while antioxidants are generally good, the specific form they take in red wine has not been shown to have any direct positive effects.
Despite all these concerns, the scientific community generally agrees that people who drink red wine and some other alcohols regularly, in moderate, are statistically healthier than their non-wine-drinking peers. It's just not completely clear why. These health benefits, which some argue even include decreasing the risk of Alzheimer's and increasing one's lifespan and life quality, may not be demonstrably caused by wine. The uncertainty is enough that a person who isn't a current wine drinker shouldn't run out and grab a bottle of California Cabernet Sauvignon.
However, they are enough that a person contemplating stopping drinking for health reasons should consider changing to a regular but moderate consumption level that includes red wine and especially this particular California wine. The substances wine derives from being created while in contact with grape skins may not be as important for wine's health benefits as was initially thought. But it's clearly something healthy people often drink, so there's more to the health benefits of wine than just coincidence.
