Future Docs Blog

Love a glass of wine (or two) at the end of the day? You’re certainly not alone. As global wine production continues to grow and more innovative producers join the industry, the selection of wine available on the market has never been so good.

And on top of that, wine, when consumed in moderation, can actually offer some pretty great health benefits that are often overlooked. Here are 6 of the top benefits of drinking wine.

1. WINE IS FULL OF ANTIOXIDANTS

You’ve probably heard that antioxidants are good for you, but do you actually know what they do? Antioxidants fight off free radicals that can cause really serious health problems like cancer. It is super important for overall health that we get enough of them and luckily wine has plenty to offer.

If you’re buying your colour of wine based on the antioxidant amount, white wine actually has the most. This is surprising to some people because red wine is usually touted as the health benefit super star but rest assured that regardless of which colour of grape you prefer, you stand to receive some health benefits.

2. WINE REDUCES YOUR RISK OF STROKE

Moderate consumption of wine works towards preventing blood clotting, because the alcohol it contains actually works as a natural blood thinner. Blood clots can build up and lead to a stroke, so wine is able to intervene and break them up before it becomes a problem. Studies show that wine is most effective when preventing blood clots in women, but it has some level of benefit for everyone.

3. WINE CAN LOWER YOUR CHOLESTEROL

Wine contains procyanidins that help keep your heart health and can even promote lower cholesterol. The resveratrol found in wine also helps to increase good cholesterol while decreasing the bad kind.

This set of benefits also extends to wine’s ability to help lower blood pressure and maintain it at healthy level over a longer period of time. All in all, if you need a little help keeping those cholesterol levels in check, sipping on a glass of wine in the evening can have significant health benefits.

4. WINE IMPROVES COGNITIVE FUNCTION

Now this one might surprise a few people, and it is certainly true that moderation is key to getting the full benefits. Consuming too much wine has the opposite effect and you will end up feeling foggy, or even forgetting an entire evening if you over do it.

A glass or two of wine actually does the brain all kinds of good, as the chemicals it contains work to prevent the brain’s neurons from dying off. This means that moderate wine consumption can help protect the brain from diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, which can be a big relief if you know that these problems run in the family.

5. WINE PROMOTES A LONG LIFE

Longevity and wine go hand in hand. This of the Mediterranean diet for example, it is great for encouraging a long life and there is plenty of room to account for a few glasses of wine. The resveratrol found in wine activates a protein that acts as an anti-aging agent, so you will feel and look younger thanks to your wine habit.

6. WINE BOOSTS YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

As with all the other benefits already mentioned, in order for wine to give your immune system a little extra boost, it seems to be consumed responsibly. Too much wine will end up having basically the opposite effect, so don’t get carried away. But drinking a glass or two can help fight off infections of all sorts and generally keep your immune system in check.