Many experts have debated over the issue of wine drinking – whether moderate drinking will benefit the drinker’s health. When discussing the benefits of drinking wine, it is the amount of Resveratrol that is in question, not the amount of alcohol.
Resveratrol can be found in many plants like mulberries and cocoa, but is most highly concentrated in the skins of red grapes. This is because, in cooler climates, grapes face a higher risk of infections, therefore releasing more Resveratrol which acts as an antibiotic against disease.
The reason wine has a significant amount of Resveratrol is because of the duration the grape skins are kept in the product while fermenting. Red wine has higher levels of Resveratrol compared to white wine, because in white wine, the grape skins are removed. Grape juice also contains low levels of Resveratrol because it is not fermented.
A study conducted by Dr. Paliyath at the University of Guelph in Ontario, showed that the development of cancerous tumors in immune-impaired mice were reduced by the consumption of grapes and red wine. When fed an antioxidant derived from Merlot grapes and then shot with breast cancer cells, the mice did not show any signs of tumor growth at all.
Further studies are underway to study the long-term effects of red wine consumption, and although the results are still not concrete, there doesn’t seem to be a health risk associated with Resveratrol in red wine. However, drinkers are cautioned not to exceed the recommended maximum amount of alcohol – one or two glasses daily. Too much would have negative effects that outweigh the positive ones.