Red Wine. Is it a health food? How much is good for you?

"Red Red Wine.  Go to my Head!"

Neil Diamond

Are You Over Indulging?

Red wine is, indeed, an excellent source of antioxidants (so are the grapes it’s made from) as well as resveratrol (more on this in "Step 7: Supplements"). Alcohol has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, and may decrease the risk for developing type 2 diabetes.[i]^,[ii] Unfortunately, many people overindulge without regard for the negative health consequences of alcohol, or the excess, "empty" calories it contains. Moderate alcohol intake is defined as no more than two drinks for men, and one drink for women, per day. Studies have shown that high alcohol intake increases aromatization of androgens to estrogen, and impedes the liver’s ability to clear excess estrogen from the body. In women, more than one drink per day can increase breast cancer risk. In men, more than two drinks per day boost estrogen levels within the liver[iii] and may lead to weight gain in the waist and the development of "man boobs.” Heavy drinking in men—defined as four or more drinks per day, five or more days per week—increases the risk for aggressive forms of prostate cancer.[iv]

Listen to Neil Diamond sing about Red Wine!

---

[i] Goldberg IJ, Mosca L, Piano MR, Fisher EA. AHA Science Advisory: Wine and your heart: a science advisory for healthcare professionals from the Nutrition Committee, Council on Epidemiology and Prevention, and Council on Cardiovascular Nursing of the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2001; 103:472–5.

[ii] Koppes LL, Dekker JM, Hendriks HF, Bouter LM, Heine RJ. Moderate alcohol consumption lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes: a meta–analysis of prospective observational studies. Diabetes Care. 2005; 28:719–25.

[iii] Colotoni A, Emanuele MA, Kovacs EJ, et al. Hepatic estrogen receptors and alcohol intake. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2007;193(1-2):101-4.

[iv] Gong Z, Kristal AR, Schenk JM, et al. Alcohol consumption, finasteride, and prostate cancer risk: results from the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial. Cancer. 2009;115(16):3661-9.