Moderate Alcohol
Growing research seems to suggest that health benefits can be derived from the moderate intake of alcohol, especially red wine. (Moderate intake is considered to be about two glasses of wine three times a week.)
Antioxidant Properties
Red wine appears to block the oxidation of cholesterol, an early step in the creation of plaque on blood vessel walls. A recent study compared the effects of red wine, white wine and pure alcohol. The red wine had the most antioxidant properties. White wine was only 20% as effective, followed by the pure alcohol that had no effect.
The French Paradox
These findings may shed light on what is known as the French Paradox. The French eat the same fatty foods as their European neighbours, but they have much lower incidence of heart problems. The only significant difference between the French and their neighbours is that the French drink much more red wine.
Interestingly, in other studies in which test subjects received non-alcoholic red wine, the heart benefits were not observed.
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