Wine production, history, and cultural significance

¶ … Health Benefits of Wine

Although human beings have been consuming wine for thousands of years, dating back long before the ancient Greeks and Romans, only recently has the health benefits of wine been clearly demonstrated through a number of scientific studies conducted by independent laboratories and the Food and Drug Administration. As James LaMar points out, doctors and physicians have long recognized "the healthful and nutritive properties of wine," such as recognizing certain ingredients which act as mild tranquilizers to help reduce anxiety and tension, "to provide the body with energy and with substances that aids digestion" and to help stimulate the appetite ("Wine and Health," Internet).

However, during Prohibition in the 1920's, the facts related to the health benefits of consuming small amounts of wine was suppressed by the American medical community, resulting in widespread ignorance among most Americans concerning wine and its beneficial qualities for more than eighty years. For example, in the early 1970's, the National Institute of Health "excluded and suppressed evidence from the Framingham Heart Study that showed moderate wine drinkers" experienced 50% fewer deaths from coronary heart disease than non-wine drinkers (LaMar, Internet).

According to the most recent scientific evidence available, it appears that wine, especially red wine, such as Bordeaux and Merlot, contains a rather high concentration of antioxidants, "a chemical or other agent that inhibits or retards oxidation, two examples being BHA and BHT"

which prevents oxygen from combining with fatty molecules, thereby causing them to become rancid or acidic (Glanze, 80). Overall, antioxidants have been shown to help prevent heart disease by "increasing the levels of "good" cholesterol (i.e., HDL) and protecting against artery damage" ("Red Wine," Internet). One particular type of antioxidant found in red wine is called resveratrol, a non-flavinoid which appears to aid in the prevention of arteries becoming clogged with "bad" cholesterol (i.e., LDL). As revealed by researchers for the prestigious Mayo Clinic, resveratrol might just be "the key ingredient in red wine that prevents damage to blood vessels" and has been linked to "a reduced risk of inflammation and blood clotting" which can lead to coronary disease ("Red Wine," Internet).

Another health benefit related to drinking red wine in moderation is that it may help to prevent some forms of cancer. In this case, a second flavinoid compound known as catechin also functions as an antioxidant by "preventing molecules or free radicals from doing cellular damage," thus preventing the formation of cancerous tumors. In addition, this particular flavinoid has been demonstrated in laboratory studies to boost the immune system, protect against heart disease and even prolong life. In 2004, a study conducted by the American Cancer Society revealed that resveratrol and catechin "also inhibits the formation of a protein that produces a condition called cardiofibrosis which reduces the heart's pumping efficiency" during times of great stress ("Wine and Health," Internet).

In 2003, another study conducted by researchers at Harvard University showed that drinking red wine in moderate amounts may help prevent or postpone diseases like Alzheimer's, a disorder associated with the brain's ability to store information and retain long-term and short-term memories, Parkinson's disease and other forms of dementia related to the brain and the central nervous system. In addition, a 2003 study published by the American Journal of Gastroenterology demonstrated that drinking moderate amounts of red wine "decreases the risk of peptic ulcers and may help to rid the body of the bacteria suspected of causing them." Also, the Harvard School of Public Health, after conducting a 14-year-long study involving more than 100,000 women aged 25 to 42 from 14 different states, found that women who drank red wine in moderate amounts (1 or 2 drinks a day) "had a 58% lower likelihood of developing diabetes." This study also showed that resveratrol and other antioxidants found in red wine may have an effect on lowering the risks of stroke, colorectal cancer, certain types of skin cancer, senile dementia, and even the common cold" ("Wine and Health," Internet).