Red, Red Wine... You Heard It Was Good For You – Here's How It Works
Bottom Line: A positive wine story is second to only a positive coffee story in my book. If coffee is my one vice, wine is my guilty pleasure. The good news is that there continues to be more good news related to the consumption of both. A couple of months ago we found that up to five cups of coffee a day helps with a whole host of health issues – provided you don’t load it up with junk. Now we have our latest study showing the benefits of a beverage we’ve heard about before. Red wine. It’s long been known that red wine in moderation is associated with numerous positive health effects. The key there being moderation of course. A new study is demonstrating exactly how it happens.
The study from the American Heart Association pointed specifically to flavonoids. I’m guessing flavonoids aren’t top of mind as you’re popping the cork but they’re key to what makes red wine so good for your heart. The non-scientific explanation goes like this. The flavonoids hit your gut, your gut gets happy and helps keep your blood pressure lower. A bit more scientifically, there’s bacteria in your gut that the flavonoids interact with which help regulate your blood pressure at a lower level. What’s interesting and a bit different about this study is the focus on the role our gut plays in all of this. Previously the positive attributes had largely been centered around the idea that antioxidants are generally good for us and thus in moderation there are positive health benefits.
Because of the specificity of the study – they were able to identify the specific flavonoids that make our gut a happy one. The flavonoids are found in berries, apples and pears. So, if you’re not into red wine, you can consume any of those independent of the wine and get the same effect. As for me, I’ll continue to practice gut happiness with red wine, generally in moderation.