Red wine has long been thought of as healthy, although only in moderation of course! The benefits associated with moderate red wine consumption come from its antioxidant content.

Whilst the benefits of drinking red wine for heart health are often reported and attributed to its high resveratrol levels which may reduce inflammation, one recent study has suggested otherwise.

The prospective study conducted in 2 villages in Chianti, Italy tracked almost 800 elderly villager’s health, including details of their diets and urine samples to measure resveratrol levels.

They found no link between urinary resveratrol and inflammatory markers, death risk, heart disease risk, or cancer risk. Suggesting that resveratrol levels which are commonly found in red wine, dark chocolate and berries, may have no substantial influence on health and mortality risk.

Although the study suggests that resveratrol levels may have no influence on mortality (not from red wine consumption itself), it could be that other substances found in red wine may be associated with its health benefits, if there are any at all. However the study provides an insight into the fact that red wine might not be as healthy as we had hoped!

One thing that seems certain is that it’s probably unwise to start drinking red wine or to increase consumption for its ‘health benefits’, as the research is still unclear and further is research is still required. After all, red wine is an alcoholic drink and alcohol is strongly associated with a number of health risks.  An interesting story to follow…

Adie Blanchard – Researcher

References

http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1868537

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-27371546