Better Health Uncorked
Understanding Wine's Wellness Factor Calls for Moderation
Pasadena Magazine
By Sarah McClure
Better Health Uncorked
Understanding Wine's Wellness Factor Calls for Moderation
Pasadena Magazine
By Sarah McClure
Some of the most noticeable hang-ups people have about drinking wine - the gluttonous attitude and inherent lawlessness that incurs from one to many glasses - are mistakenly sourced to alcohol alone. Many Angelenos, at some point in their social encounters, have misconstrued (or forgot after the third glass) the fact that a glass of wine has more alcohol content than a beer or cocktail. Case in point: A friend of mine was opening a bottle of wine when he broke the cork, discovering to his dismay that the other half was still lodged. Solution? He simply pushed the rest of the cork down the neck and drank the entire bottle. While not wasteful, something else was definitely wasted later. Another time, I was gifted with a 2-foot bottle of Riesling. It was months before enough people agreed to drink the monstrosity with me. And there's reason to believe that when the decorum of drinking flies out the door at work parties, you're bound to see a new side of ahem, the boss.
While at a party in Los Angeles, I saw an acquaintance offer her toddler a lengthy sip of merlot as nonchalantly as though it’d been a sippy cup of apple juice. I stood there momentarily, unsure what to say. Moments later, I fled to a friend’s side. “She let her child have a gulp of red wine,” I confess, aghast. My friend, glancing in her direction, says coolly, “It’s just red wine. It’s good for them.”
“Um, he’s in Huggies,” I retort, still confused. After all, doesn’t a glass of wine have more alcohol content than, say, a beer or cocktail? Not that I’d condone a 3-year-old knocking back a dirty martini.
But before we renounce the libation from the vine altogether, let's not forget that it's wine we're talking about and there's something to be said about drinking it in moderation. The American Heart Association (AHA) defines moderate wine consumption as one to two 4-ounce glasses a day. In numerous studies, wine has been associated with health-boosting benefits, including protecting against heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, promoting weight loss and stopping a cold.
Light wine drinking has even been linked to longer life expectancy in men, according to a study presented at the AHA's 47th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention, which found that imbibers experienced a 40 percent lower rate of all-cause death and 48 percent lower rate of cardiovascular disease than non-drinkers.
"The most evident health benefit of moderate wine consumption would be the reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases [CVD]," says Chun Rebecca Chao, Ph.D., a research scientist at Kaiser Permanente Department of Research and Evaluation in Pasadena. "Wine contains compounds such as polyphenols that appear to have a cardiovascular protective mechanism."
Alcohol's physiological properties, she adds, are a main reason moderate wine or other alcohol consumption reduces the risk of CVD, increases HDL levels (the good lipid) and inhibits platelet aggregation.
Another secret behind wine's healthful assets are its powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that come from polyphenols like resveratrol—a plant protective phytoalexin that occurs in grape skin in response to fungal infection (and during fermentation). Resveratrol promotes good cholesterol because it helps prevent platelets in the blood vessels from sticking together and fatty plaque from amassing in the body. "Antioxidative property is definitely one of the reasons these compounds are talked about so much," says Chao.
It's been suggested, too, that resveratrol promotes weight loss. In 2008, researchers at the University of Ulm in Germany found that the compound contained anti-obesity properties that stimulated weight loss by preventing fat storage in cells.
In my social encounter, what at first resembled a bib-wearer imbibing may actually be a child sampling the health effects doctors have long espoused about wine.
Wine Not?
Our trendy admiration for wine and indiscriminate sharing—whether among family, friends or children—might be attributed to Europeans, whom are credited with having a glass almost every day. French children are said to drink une petite goutte—"a tiny sip"—of wine.
Studies also show that the French live longer. The French Paradox—a term researchers coined 20 years ago—refers to the fact that people living in France smoke more and enjoy a diet rich in saturated fats, yet still experience a lower rate of heart disease (the No. 1 killer among Americans) than a majority of the world.
In 2008, French centenarians reached 20,115, up from 3,760 in 1990, as reported by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies in Paris. Today, the French have one of the world's longest life expectancies, according to a 2006 report by the World Health Organization.
Jeanne Calment of France, one of the longest-lived people, reached her 122nd birthday. She attributed part of her longevity to regular glasses of port.
The medical community, though, warns against deducing that drinking is the cure-all.
"French consume similar levels of saturated fat as Americans, but they consume more wine and vegetables," says Chao, adding that "polyphenols and antioxidants likely play a role in preventing CVD."
Mad About Merlot
Among wine's antioxidant benefits, several studies also suggest it may be beneficial for preventing certain cancers, according to Chao. In her recent study, which appeared in the October issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, Chao and her fellow researchers examined red wine consumption and risk of lung cancer in men and found that red wine on average led to a 2 percent lower lung cancer risk with each glass consumed per month. Male smokers who drank one to two glasses of red wine a day saw a risk reduction of 60 percent.
Chao, however, says that it will take more epidemiologic and clinical studies to discern wine's protective effect against cancer.*
Grape seed extract, also found in wine, is another source of polyphenols like resveratrol. As antioxidants, grape seed extract and resveratrol are cardioprotective and fight free radicals that cause cellular damage and can lead to cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune diseases and faster aging process.
Opt for red wine, which according to Chao is rich in polyphenol and antioxidative compounds--its antioxidants are studied for their disease-modifying potentials. "Several other small clinical studies found that red wine consumption leads to greater reduction in oxidative stress in human subjects than white wine or other alcohol drinks," she says.
Resveratrol is also richest in red wine because it's made by fermenting juice from grapes along with the skins. The debate about whether red versus white confers a greater cardiovascular benefit, however, still requires research.
Beyond the Science of Wine
Some oenophiles, while acknowledging medical scientists' findings, see wine's underlying benefits as being psychological.
Anne Marie Ruff Grewal, a communication specialist with Nossaman LLP in Los Angeles and a former journalist, remembers drinking two to three glasses of red wine a week during both her pregnancies. "Wine is a fact of life," says Grewal. "I think my sense of well-being from having one glass outweighed any risks to my unborn child."
She recalls a photograph taken of her while she was in labor—in it Grewal is holding a glass of wine.
The first 12 weeks of pregnancy are said to be the most critical. Despite this, many women drink during this time before finding out they're pregnant. Much discussion has risen about whether women should drink at all during pregnancy. According to the Office of the Surgeon General (OSG), there is no evidence that confirms an occasional glass of wine poses a hazard. OSG, however, maintains a precautionary stance, recommending pregnant women not drink alcohol.
Still, are many convinced that the occasional indulgence in a glass of wine is worth forfeiting altogether?
"I feel the advice we get from pediatricians to not drink is patronizing, as though women can't control themselves," says Grewal, noting that her mother also enjoyed wine while pregnant with her.
"There's no doubt wine is beneficial," says David Fertig of Chronicle Wine Cellar in Pasadena. "The physical and psychological benefits that come from a couple of glasses are not to be discounted."
Wine is an emotional and romantic boost, whether it's a rosé in the afternoon or cabernet after work, he says while pouring me a glass from a 2005 New Zealand Greenhough Pinot Noir. People can be psychologically transported back to destinations they traveled to while tasting wine. "You're traveling when you taste wine," he says. "Every time I drink a French burgundy, I think of that place where I had a glass of burgundy."
Fertig, who lived in Carcassonne in the south of France, points to the different approach the French versus Americans take when drinking wine. The French, he explains, are a good example of how to use moderation with wine. "Americans treat wine as a beverage, whereas the French treat wine as a condiment," he says. Americans might pour wine as close to the top in order to get a buzz. Rather, wine should be enjoyed in moderate portions (the French pour a third of the way).
“The shape of a glass serves to concentrate the bouquet of the wine,” says Sarina Mohanty of Chronicle Wine Cellar and a California Institute of Technology graduate. A moderate serving, she suggests, is one served to the widest part of the glass, or the “bowl.”
Whether in agreement that wine is simply a centuries-old liquid indulgement or significant health boost that does a body good, it's smart not to immediately disqualify its potential. Moderation in all things (including wine) is key. Also, don't overlook the fact that a glass of wine is less caloric than a shot of vodka. That's worth drinking to everyone's health. Cheers!
*Dr. Chun Chao advises smokers to quit smoking. Men who smoke and also drink one or two glasses of red wine per day still face a greater risk of lung cancer than non-smokers. For those who consume a high level of alcohol, switching to moderate drinking is recommended. After all, heavy alcohol intake is associated with the risk of several other cancers and liver disease.