Dr. Woliner's weekly health tip

[Guest guest]

Docs:

Here's Dr. Woliner's weekly health tip, which will be appreciated by

all the winos on this list. He even cites a study from OSU.

Lyndon McGill, D.C.

EvolvHealth Wellness Advisory Council Member

Salem, Oregon

www.SalemSpineClinic.com

www.EvolvingDaily.com

Surprising New Benefit of Red Wine

Many of my patients enjoy an occasional glass of red wine. And I

usually don’t discourage them. Red wine contains resveratrol and

several other substances that boost heart health.

The key word to getting red wine’s benefits is “moderation.”

Drinking a glass of wine a few times a week offers some amazing

benefits. But if you drink more than a few glasses a week, you’ll

quickly erase any gains.

And those gains can be big. In fact, a recent study suggests that

some women may enjoy a surprising benefit from red wine. But

before we get to this new information, here’s a quick review of

some of red wine’s major benefits…

Heart health is probably the best-known benefit from drinking red

wine. It’s called the “French paradox,” because the French eat a

high amount of saturated fats, yet enjoy a low risk of heart

trouble.

The French paradox has been studied for about 20 years. Most

scientists now agree that several components in red wine –

including resveratrol – work together to lower several risk

factors. These include…

Promoting clear arteries

Providing antioxidants to fight free radical damage

Support nitric oxide, which keeps arteries flexible

Promote insulin sensitivity for blood sugar control1

But red wine provides several less-known benefits.

Take, for example, a new study from Sweden’s Karolinska

Institute. Researchers there followed close to 34,000 women for 10

years. They discovered that women who drank a moderate amount of

red wine had a much lower risk of a common joint problem.

The cutoff appears to be 3 glasses of wine (or pints of beer) per

week. Less than that didn’t provide any benefit. But women who

drank 3 or more glasses a week had a 52% lower risk of this joint

problem.2

Several studies have also found that moderate alcohol intake

boosts sexual desire in women. In one study, women who had 11 – 20

drinks per month had the greatest desire levels – and sexual

satisfaction. 3

A couple of glasses of wine may also bring out the genius in you.

A team at the University of Illinois discovered that people with

moderate alcohol intake scored higher on a test of creative

thinking.

The only drawback is the effect only lasts as long as the effects

of the alcohol.4

But another “side effect” of red wine has lasting benefits.

Last year, Australian researchers discovered red wine may lower

the risk of bone loss in men. The scientists looked at a group of

adults ranging in age from 51 – 81. They found men who drank a

moderate amount of red wine had greater bone density.5

Although the Australian team didn’t find a benefit for women,

another study just did.

The study, completed at Oregon State University, looked at

post-menopausal women. Women who drank a moderate amount of

alcohol showed fewer signs of bone breakdown than women who didn’t

drink. And when the drinkers gave up alcohol temporarily, their

signs of bone breakdown went up.6

If you don’t drink, that’s fine. Alcohol can cause health

problems… and some people find it difficult to drink in

moderation. So it’s not worth the risk.

However, if you do drink, red wine appears to be the healthiest

choice for several reasons. And 3 – 5 glasses of wine a week seems

to provide the most benefit.

Yours in good health,

Dr Woliner, M.D.

1 Lippi, G., et al, “Moderate red wine consumption and

cardiovascular disease risk: beyond the "French paradox," Semin

Thromb Hemost. Feb 2010; 36(1): 59-70.

2 , S., “Frequent tipple 'halves arthritis risk,'” The

Telegraph. Jul 2012.

3 Battaglia, C., et al, “Moderate alcohol intake, genital

vascularization, and sexuality in young, healthy, eumenorrheic

women. A pilot study,” J Sex Med. 2011; 8: 2334–2343.

4 Jarosz, A.F., et al, “Uncorking the muse: alcohol intoxication

facilitates creative problem solving,” Conscious Cogn. Mar 2012;

21(1): 487-493.

5 Yin, J., et al, “Beverage-specific alcohol intake and bone

loss in older men and women: a longitudinal study,” Eur J Clin

Nutr. Apr 2011; 65(4): 526-532.

6 Marrone, J.A., et al, “Moderate alcohol intake lowers

biochemical markers of bone turnover in postmenopausal women,”

Menopause. Jul 9, 2012. Published online ahead of print.