Does it matter the type of red wine for the heart?

[Edward_The_Head]

They’ve been saying for a while now that red wine in moderation is supposed to be good for the heart. However, there’s a gazillion different types of red wine, most of which I can’t pronounce, spell, or even remember.

I like some red wines so we tend to have a couple of bottles around. What I’d like to know is there a certain type we should be drinking or does it not really matter just so long as it’s red? When ever I hear them talking about the bennifits they just say red wine and that’s it.

So, what type of wine should I be downing, I mean drinking in moderation?

[Philster]

Well, most of the ‘wine is good for the heart’ nonsense has been debunked.

You would need many litres/gallons per day, and those many litres/gallons would do more damage with the alcohol.

Rule of thumb for anti-oxidant presence would be a dark rich purple color, not unlike the color of a rich dark grape juice, which, by the way, is full of the anti-oxidants also foun in wine (see the grape connection?).

Unfortunately, grape juice is going to need to be consumed in decent quantities, too, and the large am’ts of sugar are going to cause other issues with your health.

The reall key to anti-oxidant use is to get them during all your meals, by eating lotsa healthy fruits and veggies and things like fish. There is no food that can be consumed as a ‘supplement’ to you diet. The food itself that is part of your regular meal consumption needs to be the source of the anti-oxidants, lest you run into the same problem I noted above (too much sugar, or too much alcohol, etc).

Have some tomatoes on your salad, some grapes in a fruit salad, and just make sure all you meals are lean and rich in veggies. Eat your anti-oxidents. Drinking them intakes too much alcohol, too much sugar, too many cals, and little nutrition.

Have a glass of wine to relax and destress - ABOSLUTELY. Destressing and relaxing will jack your immune system up, as well as your mental state, and these are good things.

[Cerowyn]

There are numerous studies that demonstrate that moderate consumption of alcohol may reduce certain types of heart disease, and that red wine may be particularly effective in that regard. From one cite with regard to alcohol:

Results from the large Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, a study in which 38,077 male health professionals who were free of cardiovascular disease were observed for 12 years, suggested that drinking 1 to 2 drinks per day, 3 to 4 days per week decreased the risk of having a heart attack by as much as 32%. The formation of an occluding blood clot in an artery that supplies part of the brain can lead to stroke. Light to moderate alcohol consumption was found to be associated with an approximately 20% reduction in the risk for ischemic stroke and may even be beneficial in preventing subsequent strokes.

With regard to red wine, the same paper notes:

Support for a more pronounced cardioprotective effect for red wine as compared with other alcoholic beverages first emerged from the Copenhagen City Heart Study, in which 13,285 men and women were observed for 12 years. The results from this study suggested that patients who drank wine had half the risk of dying from coronary heart disease or stroke as those who never drank wine. Those who drank beer and spirits did not experience this advantage. The additional benefit of red wine is supported further by an analysis of 13 studies involving 209,418 participants. This analysis showed a 32% risk reduction of atherosclerotic disease with red wine intake, which was greater than the 22% risk reduction for beer consumption.

However, the above paragraph goes on to warn:

Other studies and reviews have failed to show a beneficial effect for red wine, however, and hence it could be concluded that other lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, socioeconomic status, or pattern of alcohol consumption may have played a role in giving wine drinkers an advantage in lowered rates of atherosclerosis.

A survey of other peer-reviewed articles suggests a similar ambivalence amongst researchers. While there are many indications that red wine in particular might be more beneficial, there’s no broadly conclusive evidence.