Wine and Disease
Wine has long been thought of to have positive health benefits. Current research is proving that moderate wine consumption has beneficial effects on certain diseases, including heart disease and cancer.
The exact cause of most disease is largely unknown. This is due to the degree to which everything is interrelated in the body. Putting one substance into the body can affect 1000 chemicals and process, each of which affects 1000 others and so on. This quagmire makes determining the exact cause of disease a difficult task.
Atherosclerosis & Blood Clotting Factors
Despite its complexity, there are trends that doctors and researchers can analyze to make generalizations about extraneous factors and lifestyle choices. An example of this is the relationship between moderate wine consumption and atherosclerosis. One of the reasons for this association is the anti-oxidant properties of wine and their role with blood clotting factors.
Stroke & Hypertension
Drinking one or two glasses of wine has been shown to have beneficial effects on heart disease. The risk of stroke is lowest among those who drink moderately. The same phenomenon is seen with hypertension. There seems to be a “J” or “U” shaped curve describing the risk of disease compared to alcohol consumption.
Wine and Cancer
However, moderate wine consumption’s association with cancer is not that simple. Studies evaluating the effect of Wine and Breast Cancer are confounded by a multitude of variables. This is one of the difficulties finding the relationship between wine and disease. However, wine has anti-cancer properties that are seen with upper digestive tract cancer.
Wine and Cognitive Function
Many people in the scientific community have pointed to the phenolic compounds in wine to explain its beneficial effects of wine and disease. There is a wealth of evidence pointing towards moderate alcohol slowing the decline of cognitive function in the elderly. It is important to realize that these articles are not medical recommendations. They are based on research, and any decision on your health should be talked about with your physician.
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