Let’s celebrate National Wine Drinking Day. It’s a time to spread the love and health benefits of wine drinking while “spotlighting,” a new European study on how drinking your favorite “vino,” can cut your risk of a heart attack by half.
Is drinking wine good for your heart health?
European Heart Journal published a new Spanish study showing that light to moderate wine drinking or drinking about 1/2 to 1 glass of wine a day while sticking to a Mediterranean diet (rich in olive oil, fruits, nuts and fish) in people at risk for heart disease had a 50 % less chance of suffering a heart attack, stroke and even death.
Prior studies have mixed results when it comes to wine drinking on how much wine is heart healthy if at all because it’s difficult to know without a reliable way of measuring how much wine is consumed as people tend to underestimate the number of glasses per day or week when asked. In this study, they measured “tartaric acid,” in the urine, a chemical found in grapes and wine that is peed out after drinking and researchers say it’s an objective and more reliable measure of wine consumption in addition to self-reporting.
After measuring tartaric acid in the urine of over 1,200 people who drank different amounts of wine over 4 to 5 years, it was discovered that moderate wine drinking or 1/2 to 1 glass of wine per day or up to 35 glasses a month decreased the number of heart attacks, and strokes by half compared to light wine drinking or 1 glass of wine per week or less which reduced risk by a third. So, both light and moderate wine drinking in combination with a healthy diet seemed to cut cardiovascular events by a third to half. The same protective effective disappears with drinking more than 1 glass of wine daily.
Tell me more about National Wine Drinking Day?
National Wine Drinking Day is celebrated February 18th since 2007 and in fact we celebrate 17 different national wine days including International Riesling Day, National Wine Day (in May not to be confused with National Wine Drinking Day), and National White Wine Day to list a few.
If you are wine “tasting,” this week drink like the pros, swirl the glass to release the aroma and it’s one of the rare times that “spitting,” is considered chic. Hold a sip of wine in your mouth for a few seconds then spit out-that wat you can taste a lot of wine without getting drunk.
Red wine may be healthier than white due to higher amounts (3-10 times more) of something called resveratrol found in the skin of the grapes (white wine is usually not made with the skin of the grape). It is a powerful antioxidant and can boost your good cholesterol (HDL) and reduce you bad (LDL). Now, if you are a tee toddler or prefer white wine you may get the same benefits from drinking a glass of grape juice daily.
Other fun health facts to share on National Wine Day?
Wine come in many shades, flavors, and sparkle depending on the type of grape used, fermentation, and the region of the world with most of the wine made in the U.S., France, Spain, and Italy.
Sparkling wines happen when the gas (carbon dioxide) or “bubbly,” is allowed to escape. Sweeter wines are created when fermentation is stopped before mid-way. Fermentation is the process of wine making where the sugar in the grapes is dissolved by yeast turning it into alcohol and bubbly.
Whether white, sparkling wine or red wine is your drinking pleasure, moderation is key with a limit of 2 glasses of wine a day for men and 1 glass for women and maybe less based on this new Spanish study for maximal heart health.
Women should drink less than men as tend to be smaller and also break down alcohol slower due to less of an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (A.D). Alcohol is absorbed faster into the bloodstream, so women feel the effects of alcohol sooner. In other words, a little bubbly goes a long way. There are also studies linking risks of certain cancers more in women than in men with alcohol use so important if you drink to drink in moderation.
Fow now, let’s celebrate National Wine Drinking Day this week with friends and family. It’s time for toasting your favorite “vino.” Remember to drink in moderation and stay safe, your heart and health depends on it.
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