10 Benefits of Drinking a Glass of Wine Everyday (Backed By Science)

Is it good to have a glass of wine with your meal? How does wine benefit your health? Should you be drinking win every day?

Here’s the thing: the consensus on wine is divisive at best. Some people say wine is good; some people say wine is terrible. 

In this article, you’ll learn about the health benefits of drinking wine and how it can help you live a healthy life.

If you love wine, after reading this article, you are going to love wine even more. If you don’t like wine, after reading this article, the chances are that you’ll strongly consider it.

Let’s get started.

1. Wine contains antioxidants

Antioxidants help to protect the body against free radicals. They fight the damage to cells caused by inflammation. 

Antioxidants also reduce oxidative stress, which depicts an imbalance between the production of free radicals in the body and the body’s ability to detoxify these free radicals.

Free radicals are implicated in serious health conditions like cardiovascular conditions and cancer. Many foods and drinks are rich in antioxidants, and wine is one of them.

Grapes, which are widely used in making wine, have high polyphenol content. Polyphenols have been shown to lower oxidative stress and reduce inflammation.

Antioxidants are also useful in preventing mental conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

2. Improves cardiovascular health

Wine is good for the heart when taken in moderate quantities. This aspect is a little tricky because taking too much wine can be counter-productive and end up harming the heart.

A review in 2019 showed that taking red wine is connected to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. 

The researchers concluded that there is a strong possibility red wine has protective effects on the heart.

But as earlier mentioned, this is tricky. The American Heart Association says such reviews and researches are not precisely accurate. This is partly because they don’t give a cause-and-effect representation. We’ll make it make sense.

What they mean is that other factors also come into play when determining the effect of wine on the heart. 

This means that some of the people who drink wine may also eat and live healthy. And as such, wine cannot be singled out as the reason for improved cardiovascular health.

AHA also believes that taking too much alcohol can harm the heart. 

3. Lowers blood pressure and increases HDL level

Several studies show that wine decreases blood pressure. Let’s start with the AHA. 

They say red wine may lower blood pressure and also raise the amount of High-Density Lipoprotein (good cholesterol) in the body. 

The component of wine responsible for this is resveratrol, which is an antioxidant.

Red wine has also been said to contain tannins known as procyanidins that maintain the health of blood vessels. This is according to a 2006 report.

Wine not only increases HDL levels, but it also lowers LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) levels. LDL is known as ‘bad’ cholesterol. 

4. Reduces inflammation

Let’s go back to resveratrol. It has anti-inflammatory properties. Chronic inflammation is dangerous to the body. It raises the risk of heart conditions, autoimmune disorders, and even some types of cancer. 

Resveratrol can help to combat chronic inflammation through its anti-inflammatory properties.

Researchers looked into the impact of wine on over 5,000 participants. They reported their findings in the European Heart Journal. The findings showed that consuming wine moderately is connected to a lowered inflammatory response.

But there’s more.

Another study conducted with close to 3,000 women found something surprising. Researchers found that there were lower inflammatory markers in women who took a glass of wine a day as compared to women who did not take alcohol at all. 

5. Prevents Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease is very unpalatable. It is a progressive disease that causes brain cells to degenerate, and this leads to memory loss and deterioration of overall mental health. 

The exact cause is not fully understood. Some people believe that it is inescapable in old age, but that is point blank false. 

There are several ways of preventing it, and luckily wine is one of them. Guess what component of wine is useful in preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Yes, resveratrol. 

It does this by keeping vessels that transport blood in the brain open, and this corresponds to an uninterrupted supply of oxygen and other nutrients that keep the brain functioning.

6. Lower depression

Depression is never to be joked with. It is a severe medical condition. And we can tell you that it’s not something anyone wants to experience. 

Now, this is also tricky in that taking excess alcohol may trigger depression or worsen it. 

Notwithstanding, a study has shown that moderate drinking of alcohol, two to seven glasses to be precise, may lower depression level. The study was on over 5500 people over seven years. 

That same study also showed that heavy drinking could make an individual more likely to have depression. So, it all boils down to moderation. 

7. Improves immune system

Your immune system is what is tasked with defending the body from germs, infections, and other foreign invaders. 

It serves as the military of the body, and as with every good military, it needs to be strong enough to repel enemies.

Vitamins are the go-to substances for good body defenses, but wine is also useful. It is reported that ethanol, the chemical component of wine, can make vaccinations better. 

Antioxidants in wine also fight viruses. These antioxidants can fight up to two hundred different viruses.

Resveratrol can prevent the multiplication of some viruses, including viruses that cause cold, when they have entered the body.

8. Increases bone strength

Bone strength gradually decreases as we age. Osteoporosis is a medical condition where bones in the body become weak and brittle.

Small falls in people with osteoporosis can cause severe damage to the bones. The density of the bones is low.

Red wine contains silicon, and at elevated levels, too, that help to increase the density of bones. An increase in bone density reduces the risk of osteoporosis.

Bone strength is usually increased with calcium-containing meals and drinks like milk. Hear us out. Rather than milk, drinking one glass of wine has the same health benefits.

9. Maintain eyesight

And we’re back to resveratrol. We established earlier that it has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, implying that it can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. 

Through these properties, resveratrol can prevent vision loss. This is according to research conducted in 2016.

Resveratrol retards the deterioration of eye muscles, which is usually age-related. Macular degeneration is an example of age-related decline found in the muscles of the eye. 

Macular degeneration is one of the major causes of vision loss today. 

Resveratrol can prevent macular degeneration by stopping the growth of vessels in the eye that can cause macular degeneration.

10. Promotes longevity

One of the health benefits of drinking wine is in the area of longevity. Let me explain. Resveratrol is an antioxidant that helps in fighting off free radicals in the body. But you already know that. 

If there are very minimal free radicals in the body, there is a lower chance of them destroying cells and organs. If free radicals do not damage cells and organs, they’ll automatically last longer.

Resveratrol also increases the activity of sirtuins. Sirtuins are proteins that are concerned with protecting the body against illnesses associated with aging.

Takeaway

Drinking wine has several health benefits but it has to be in moderation. Drinking too much can put your life in danger, both immediate and prolonged.

Moderate, according to the CDC, is defined as a maximum of one glass of wine per day for females and two glasses for males. One glass of wine is five ounces of twelve percent alcohol.