# if red win\[e\] is good for you, what kind is best? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 11, 2009, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-red-win-e-is-good-for-you-what-kind-is-best/513375 "2009-10-11T02:58:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drhess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@drhess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drhess)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2009, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-red-win-e-is-good-for-you-what-kind-is-best/513375/1 "2009-10-11T02:58:14Z")
Is it correct that white wine does not have the properties that are supposed to be healthy for you? Or only some of them? And if reds are good, are some reds better than others? Thanks, and cheers! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2009, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-red-win-e-is-good-for-you-what-kind-is-best/513375/2 "2009-10-11T05:52:22Z")
By definition, any “win” is good for you. But seriously . . . the primary healthy ingredient is resveratrol, which is found in the skin of red grapes. But you’d have to drink a whole lot of wine for significant benefits, and you’d be doing yourself more harm than good. You can also get a synthetic version in capsule form. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2009, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-red-win-e-is-good-for-you-what-kind-is-best/513375/3 "2009-10-11T07:06:37Z")
Changed “win” to “wine” in thread title. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2009, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-red-win-e-is-good-for-you-what-kind-is-best/513375/4 "2009-10-11T13:43:33Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > But seriously . . . the primary healthy ingredient is resveratrol, which is found in the skin of red grapes. But you’d have to drink a whole lot of wine for significant benefits, and you’d be doing yourself more harm than good. You can also get a synthetic version in capsule form. If that’s true, why do so many doctors recommend drinking a glass a day? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Awesome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Captain\_Awesome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Awesome)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-red-win-e-is-good-for-you-what-kind-is-best/513375/5 "2009-10-11T14:59:03Z")
> [@BrandonR](#): > > If that’s true, why do so many doctors recommend drinking a glass a day? Procyanidins are the principal vasoactive polyphenols in red wine, not reservatrol which is present only in relatively minor amounts. Traditional methods of wine making, or _vinifiĂ© a l’ancienne_, which have an extended contact between the whole grape and wine, result in the highest concentrations of these polyphenols. Wines of this style are most common in southwestern France and Sardinia, however they aren’t a large portion of the global wine market which has moved away from the less alcoholic, less sweet, more tannic style. Some wine manufacturers have technical details on their websites, so look for contact times of \>10 days. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-red-win-e-is-good-for-you-what-kind-is-best/513375/6 "2009-10-11T21:52:41Z")
Reservatol is an antioxidant not a vasodilator. It is found on the skins of grapes and, hence, in red wine. Although you need to drink a lot of wine to get some of the touted results, a little is better than none. Alcohol of any kind (wine, beer, whiskey, etc.) has some benefits, in moderation, of course. The recommended amount is two drinks of wine or beer and 1.5 ounces of hard liquor. [http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/alcoholandhealth.html](http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/alcoholandhealth.html) [Alcohol use: Weighing risks and benefits - Mayo Clinic](http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alcohol/SC00024) So red wine is the best alcohol since it has the additional beneficial factors, but any and all alcohol has been shown in studies to be beneficial in moderation. This may be due to the alcohol itself or that people who drink in moderation have overall better eating and health behaviors; however, people who drink in moderation fare better than those who abstain according to all the studies. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-red-win-e-is-good-for-you-what-kind-is-best/513375/7 "2009-10-11T22:06:13Z")
I wish to amend the above post since it contains obvious contradictions, as follows: Reservatol is an antioxidant not a vasodilator. It is found on the skins of grapes and, hence, in red wine. Alcohol of any kind (wine, beer, whiskey, etc.) has some benefits, in moderation, of course. The recommended amount is two drinks of wine or beer and 1.5 ounces of hard liquor, for men (half that amount for women.) [http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/alcoholandhealth.html](http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/alcoholandhealth.html) [Alcohol use: Weighing risks and benefits - Mayo Clinic](http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alcohol/SC00024) So red wine is the best alcohol since it has the additional beneficial factors, but any and all alcohol has been shown in studies to be beneficial in moderation. This may be due to the alcohol itself or that people who drink in moderation have overall better eating and health behaviors; however, people who drink in moderation fare better than those who abstain according to all the studies. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Awesome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Captain\_Awesome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Awesome)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2009, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-red-win-e-is-good-for-you-what-kind-is-best/513375/8 "2009-10-11T23:04:15Z")
> [@barbitu8](#): > > Reservatol is an antioxidant not a vasodilator. I should have expressed myself more clearly in my above post. I didn’t mean to suggest vasoactive effects were the likely health benefit of reservatrol, just that it’s not the ‘primary healthy ingredient’ in red wine. Incidentally the highest levels for this particular phytoalexins are found in muscadine wines. Bioactive plant compounds aside, even relatively small consumption of alcohol has adverse health effects, > [@](#): > > Low to moderate alcohol consumption in women increases the risk of certain cancers. For every additional drink regularly consumed per day, the increase in incidence up to age 75 years per 1000 for women in developed countries is estimated to be about 11 for breast cancer, 1 for cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx, 1 for cancer of the rectum, and 0.7 each for cancers of the esophagus, larynx and liver, giving a total excess of about 15 cancers per 1000 women up to age 75. ([Allen _et al._ 2009](http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/101/5/296)) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2009, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-red-win-e-is-good-for-you-what-kind-is-best/513375/9 "2009-10-11T23:20:02Z")
I’m pretty sure that Pinot Noirs from New York have been shown to have astronomical levels of resveratrol. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-red-win-e-is-good-for-you-what-kind-is-best/513375/10 "2009-10-12T00:29:39Z")
> [@BrandonR](#): > > If that’s true, why do so many doctors recommend drinking a glass a day? Both my doctor and some research I’ve seen say that the benefit from a glass a day is from the alcohol itself rather than any particular other effect. Alcohol helps you to relax and is a vasodilator. There is a lot of research to show that resveratrol is good for you by itself, but it looks like it isn’t what’s primarily at work. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Awesome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Captain\_Awesome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Awesome)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-red-win-e-is-good-for-you-what-kind-is-best/513375/11 "2009-10-12T01:11:15Z")
Bear in mind that the j-shaped response curve (lowest value observed at _c_. 20 g alcohol/day) only applies towards coronary heart disease. Other neoplastic and some non-neoplastic diseases do not appear to have a threshold, > [@](#): > > Strong trends in risk were observed for cancers of the oral cavity, esophagus and larynx, hypertension, liver cirrhosis, chronic pancreatitis, and injuries and violence. Less strong direct relations were observed for cancers of the colon, rectum, liver, and breast. For all these conditions, significant increased risks were also found for ethanol intake of 25 g per day. ([Corrao _et al_. 2004](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WPG-4BM8YDF-4&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1043756425&_rerunOrigin=scholar.google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=474f1ec9721e13e31bdbdbe93a411b19)) ---
**Author:** ![fandango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b5ac83/32.png) [@fandango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fandango)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-red-win-e-is-good-for-you-what-kind-is-best/513375/12 "2009-10-12T03:01:39Z")
> [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](#): > > I’m pretty sure that Pinot Noirs from New York have been shown to have astronomical levels of resveratrol. Actually, Muscadine wine has the most.