Wine, not only delicious, but also good for you. If you’re a wine lover, you probably need minimal excuses to open a bottle, but the fact that the contents inside that bottle are good for your health when consumed in moderation is one of the best legitimate excuses you could have. Who doesn’t want to be more creative, have a healthier heart or even lose a bit of weight? These 7 health advantages make consuming a glass or two of wine every night, not just a pleasure, but good for you too.
It Burns Fat
Researchers, working at both the University of Nebraska, and the University of Florida, found that ellagic acid, which is found in grapes, dramatically slowed the growth of existing fat cells and the formation of new ones, boosting metabolism of fatty acids in liver cells.
It Makes You Smarter
Recent studies by Jennifer Wiley, a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois Chicago, show that a few glasses of wine actually relax our brains and allow us to think more clearly. In a separate study Wiley also found that the same amount of wine aids in creative problem solving – which is why brainstorming sessions with the team at a happy hour often provide such fantastic results.
Along With Chocolate, Wine May Protect You From Smog
A diet rich in chocolate, wine, fruits and vegetables may help protect people from heart disease caused by air pollution, new research out of China suggests.
It Helps With Diabetes
In a study of over 220 type 2 diabetes patients regularly consuming a Mediterranean diet, the patients who also drank a 150ml glass of red wine with dinner had higher HDL levels than those who drank mineral water. Since HDL can help a body stave off strokes and heart attacks, the implication of these studies are hopeful, to say the least.
It’s Been Found To Slow Lung Cancer Growth
In a recent study conducted by researchers from Brock University and McMaster University in Ontario, it was found that both red and white wines halted the spread of lung cancer.
It Can Help You Kick Your Cold
Red wine contains vital cold-defeating flavonoids. What are flavonoids, exactly? Glad you asked. Flavonoids, which are found in plants, are metabolites that have antioxidant properties. In other words, they help prevent your body from succumbing to illnesses like a nasty summer cold. According to a study from the University of Auckland, drinking red wine can “significantly reduce the risk of catching colds and coughs.”
One Or Two Glasses May Make You Better In Bed
For the ladies, red wine causes the sex drive to be even more pronounced than with other drinks, at least according to a group of Italian researchers who discovered that the compounds in the wine actually enhance levels of sexual desire in the fairer sex. What the researchers uncovered was that the red wine specifically increased blood flow to women’s erogenous areas, which in turn led to increased levels of desire. For men, not only does a glass or two loosen things up and increase blood flow to essential areas, but red wine also seems to increase levels of testosterone in the blood, a necessary hormone when it comes to male sexual arousal and “appetite.”
