In the Bible the apostle Paul recommended Timothy to drink a little wine to improve his health. Was he right?
Research has found that red wine in particular can lower the risk of heart disease, provide protection against stroke and prevent pancreatic cancer.
Does it mean all red wines are good? Do the health benefits extend to white wines and rosé also?
According to Professor Roger Corder, who conducts research into heart disease at Barts and The London School Of Medicine And Dentistry and is the author of The Wine Diet, this is not true.
Drinking the wrong kind of wine could simply be dangerously increasing your alcohol intake - with implications not only for your weight but long term for your liver, and no health benefits.
Not all red wines provide the same health benefits. Certain varieties may be better than others. It all depends on the amount of certain chemical compounds in the wine.
Resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant which comes from the skins of grapes, appears to have anticancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting properties.
Polyphenols, found in grape skin and seeds, are natural antioxidants which protect the membranes of each cell
Procyanidins, another compund found in red wines, help to reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol and protect against hardening of the arteries.
Which red wines are the healthiest?
Two wine-growing regions which boast high concentrations of procyanidins are the Nuoro province in Sardinia (which produces the Cannonau grape), and Madiran in the Pyrenees.
Wines from these areas contain up to ten times more beneficial compounds than the red wines from United States, South Africa and Australia.
One small glass of a Madiran wine can provide more health benefits than two bottles of most Australian wines, without the obvious danger of excessive alcohol consumption.
Prof Corder remarked, “It’s no wonder that the Madiran area has double the French national average of men aged 90, and this is despite regularly eating foods high in saturated fat, such as cassoulet”.
Consuming red wine may be a possible explanation for the “French Paradox” - the low incidence of heart disease among the French people, who eat a relatively high-fat diet.
Wines from the Madiran and CÙtes de Saint Mont regions of France and from the Sagrantino and Nebbiolo regions of Italy are the healthiest wines.
Cabernet Sauvignon is generally better than Merlot or Shiraz, with Chilean and Argentinean Cabernets the best choice.
Pinot Noir is generally a poor choice as it’s low in procyanidins.
Are white wines healthy?
Although white wines do not have the skin macerated they can still have some health benefits as there are other types of polyphenols in the grape itself which could lower levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol.
Italian scientists found that both red and white wines are effective anti-bacterial agents against strains of streptomorecoccus, which causes infections such as sore throats.
They put this down to acids in the wine which can protect against and destroy bacteria, but red is better at this than white.
White wine also contains potassium which may help lower blood pressure (though the same amount could be derived from drinking fruit juice), and prevents the creation of molecules which can damage lung tissue.
Since white wine contains the compounds tyrosol and caffeic acid, which act as anti-inflammatories and antioxidants, it is believed that it could help prevent rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis.
Two glasses a day could produce a reduced inflammatory reaction, but higher consumption canceled out these benefits.
Chardonnay is highest in antioxidants known as polyphenols, while Sauvignon Blanc has anti-inflammatory properties.
Research by Italian and American researchers found that consumption of white wine protects against heart attacks.
Their study featured three wines: two Tocai and a Verduzzo from the Friuli Venezia region of Italy.
On the downside, white wine can make your stomach secrete more acid than normal, which can lead to nausea.
White wines such as Reisling and Pinot Grigio also tend to be sweeter and thus have calories. However, white wine is the preferred option for migraine sufferers since it is low in the headache-inducing compound tyramine, unlike many red and rosé wines.
Incidentally, if you’re wondering why white wine is less likely to cause a hangover, it’s because it lacks congeners - chemicals produced during fermentation.
Recommended white wines are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and wines from the Friuli Venezia region of Italy.
What’s about rosé wine?
Rosé is generally made from a relatively short contact between the liquid and the grape seeds and skins. It has fewer health benefits than red.
Taken moderately rosé can have some benefits.
A recent Danish study concluded that people who drink up to two and a half bottles of wine a week - roughly two glasses a day - have a lower risk of premature death than those who abstain from alcohol.
Researchers also found that being physically active and drinking a moderate amount of alcohol is important for lowering the risk of fatal ischaemic heart disease.
Drinking the right wine in moderation can be very good for your health.
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